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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notas/Notas  tachniquas  at  bibliographlquas 


Tha  Institute  hat  attanaptad  to  obtain  tha  bast 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographicaily  unique, 
which  may  altar  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checlced  below. 


D 


D 


n 


n 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


□    Covers  damaged/ 
Couverture  endommagia 

□   Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurAe  at/ou  palliculAe 


Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


I      I    Coloured  maps/ 


Cartes  giographiquas  en  couleur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


I      I    Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Relid  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  serr6e  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  ie  long  de  la  marge  intArieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajouttes 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  la  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  Atait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  M  filmies. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  supplimentairas; 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  *t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
da  cat  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mithode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiquAs  ci-dessous. 


r~~|   Coloured  pages/ 


Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagies 


□   Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pa:ies  restauries  et/ou  pellicul6es 

r~^  Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
I  "I    Pages  d6color6es,  tachet<^es  ou  piqu^es 

□    Pages  detached/ 
Pages  ddtach^es 


1 
i 


1 

P 
o 
f 


C 
b 
tl 

a 
o 
fi 
s 
o 


Ui 


Showthrough/ 
Transparence 


I      I    Quality  of  print  varies/ 


Quality  inigaie  de  rimpression 

Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  materiel  supplimentaire 


D 
D 


Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 

Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  M  film6es  A  nouveau  de  faqon  A 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


T 
si 

T 


M 
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This  item  is  filmed  st  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  film*  au  taux  de  rMuction  indiqui  ci-dessous. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

30X 

y 

12X 

16X 

aox 

24X 

28X 

32X 

1 

Th«  copy  filmad  h«r«  ha*  b««n  r«procluc*d  thanks 
to  tha  ganarosity  of: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  ArcMvei  of  British  Columbia 


L'axamplaira  film4  ffut  raproduit  grAca  A  la 
ginAroait*  da: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 


Tha  imagaa  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  bast  quality 
possibia  consldaring  tha  condition  and  laglbility 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  kaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  spacifications. 


Las  imagas  sulvantaa  ont  At*  raproduitas  avac  la 
plus  grand  soin,  compta  tanu  da  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattati  da  raxamplaira  film*,  at  an 
conformity  avac  las  conditions  du  contrat  da 
filmaga. 


Original  copias  in  printad  papar  covars  ara  filmad 
baginning  with  tha  fror    ;ovai'  and  and'ng  on 
tha  last  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  impras- 
sion,  or  tha  back  covar  whan  appropriata.  All 
othar  original  copias  ara  filmad  baginning  on  tha 
first  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  impras- 
sion,  and  anding  on  the  last  paga  with  a  printad 
or  illustratad  imprassion. 


Las  axamplairas  originaux  dont  la  couvartura  ttn 
papiar  ast  imprimia  sont  filmis  an  commanpant 
par  la  pramiar  plat  at  an  tarminant  salt  par  la 
darniAra  paga  qui  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'imprassion  ou  d'illustration.  soit  par  la  sacond 
plat,  salon  la  cas.  Tous  las  autras  axamplairas 
originaux  sont  filmAs  an  commandant  par  la 
pramiAra  paga  qui  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'imprassion  ou  d'illustration  at  an  tarminant  par 
la  darniira  paga  qui  comporta  una  talla 
amprainta. 


Tha  last  racordad  frama  on  aach  microficha 
shall  contain  tha  symbol  — ^>  (moaning  "CON- 
TINUED "I.  or  tha  symbol  ▼  (moaning  "END  "). 
whichavar  applias. 


Un  das  symbolas  suivants  apparaltra  sur  la 
darniAra  imaga  da  chaqua  microficha.  salon  la 
cas:  la  symbols  — »>  signifia  "A  SUIVRE ',  la 
symbols  V  signifia  "FIN". 


Maps,  platas,  charts,  ate,  may  ba  filmad  at 
diffarant  reduction  ratios.  Thosa  too  larga  to  ba 
antiraly  inciudad  in  ona  axposura  ara  filmad 
baginning  in  tha  upp  vr  laft  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc..  peuvent  Atre 
filmis  A  des  taux  da  reduction  diffArents. 
Lorsque  ie  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichA.  il  est  filmA  A  partir 
da  l"angle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite. 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  la  nombre 
d"imeges  nAcessaire.  Las  diagrammas  suivants 
iilustrant  la  mAthode. 


1 

2 

3 

32X 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

LIFE  AMONG  THE  INDIMS; 


OB, 


PERSONAL  REMINISCENCES 


AND 


HISTORICAL  INCIDENTS 


ILLUSTRATIVB    OF 


INDIAN  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER. 


BT 


REV.  JAMES  B.  FINLEY, 

"TBI  OLD  CaiEP,"  OR  RA-WAH-WAR. 


EDITED  BY  REV.  D.  W.  CLARK,  D.  D. 


-Q?,?»^HB^- 


CINCINNATI: 

CRANSTON   &   CURTS. 

NEW  YORK:  HUNT  &  EATON. 


NW 

F5\S 


f    K 


«! 


r  R  E  F  A  C  E . 


-•••- 


No  living  man,  probably,  has  seen  and  known 
more  of  the  Indians  in  the  north-west  than  my- 
self. During  almost  seventy  years  I  have  been 
among  them,  as  it  wei-e — have  been  acquainted 
with  their  principal  men,  studied  their  history, 
character,  and  manner  of  life.  With  me  it  has 
not  been,  as  with  most  who  have  written  about 
them,  a  mere  matter  of  theory;  for  I  have  been 
among  them,  hunted  and  fished  with  them,  ate 
and  lodged  in  their  wigwams,  and  been  subjected 
to  all  the  labors,  excitements,  perils,  and  priva- 
tions of  life  among  them.  In  this  long  experi- 
ence and  observation,  I  have  gathered  up  many 
things  which  I  thought  worthy  of  record.  Some 
of  them  occurred  in  my  experience  as  a  mission- 
ary among  them. 

I  Kentucky,  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Michigan,  were 
the  great  battle-fields  between  barbarism  and  civ- 
ilization in  the  west    My  acquaintance  extended 

3 


201^54 


PREFACE. 


rr 
Iff 


over  all  these  states;  and  there  is  scarcely  a  spot 
celebrated  in  Indian  warfare  which  I  have  not  vis- 
itc'l  again  and  again.  Tales  of  Indian  life  and 
warfare  were  the  entertainments  of  my  childhood; 
the  realities  of  these  things  were  among  the  ex- 
periences of  my  manhood.  Now,  when  the  scene 
is  nearly  over  with  me  on  earth,  I  have  gathered 
up  these  reminiscences  of  the  past,  to  amuse  and 
instruct  the  generations  of  a  later  age.  Those 
who  enjoy  so  goodly  a  heritage  in  this  vast  region, 
ought  to  know  through  what  trials  and  perils  their 
forefathers  obtained  it  for  them. 

I  have  endeavored  to  connect  the  facts  nar- 
rated in  these  pages,  so  as  to  give  a  condensed 
view  of  Indian  history  in  the  north-west.  In  the 
preparation  of  the  work  I  am  indebted  to  Flint, 
M'Donald,  Drake,  Schoolcraft,  and  others.  Col. 
M'Donald's  work  was  written  at  my  suggestion, 
and  a  portion  of  the  material  was  also  furnished 
by  me;  consequently,  I  have  felt  free  to  draw  upon 
rt  The  work  of  Mr.  Flint  is  rich  in  the  mate- 
rials of  history;  but  they  are  so  entirely  com- 
mingled and  without  system,  as  to  detract  much 
from  its  value.  This  work  is  also  out  of  print; 
and  I  have  gleaned  from  it  some  narrations  of 


m 


PREFACE. 


intei-esfc.  But  the  great  body  of  the  matter  has 
been  gleaned  from  my  own  resources — not  a  little 
of  it,  indeed,  connected  with  my  own  experience. 
Thus  I  send  this  work  out,  hoping  that  it  em- 
bodies some  historic  elements  and  some  practical 
lessons  that  may  be  useful  to  those  who  now  live, 
and  also  to  those  who  shall  come  after  me. 

The  Author. 


CONTENTS. 


-  *     »   •  •,  » 


C  U  A  P  T  E  R    I . 

BBMO/AIi    TO    TUE    N  0  RT  H  -  W  EST  £R  N    TURRITOBT. 

Emigration  to  tbo  North-Wostorn  Territory — Tho  country  a  wilderness — 
Uuoortainty  of  land  titles — Slavery—  Scioto  Valley :  Its  great  fertility^ 
Col.  Massio— Doronso — Columbia— Gullipolis— The  "Three  Islands" — 
Surveys  —  Attack—Donaldson  :  His  capture  —  Escape  —  "  Donaldson'* 
creek  " — Massio's  narrow  escape — Ellison's  capture — Runs  the  gantlet — 
Is  imprisoned — Edgington  killed — A  race  for  life — Manner  of  surrey- 
ing — Manner  of  Ijodging— Attack  contemplated— Indians  escape  — 
Another  battle— Action  ot  Brush  creek — Settlement  at  Chillicothe— 
Scioto — The  Finloy  family  emigrate — A  Wyandott  killed— Indians  de- 
mand the  murderer— Refused — Two  innocent  men  killed  in  revenge — 
Whisky — A  pioneer  magistrate— Stolen  collar- Thief  whipped — Rapid 
■ettlemonts Paqk  17 


CHAPTER    II. 

2K0IDENTS    OF    INDIAN    LIFE    AND    WARFARE. 

Cbilliootbo — Shawnees— Mrs.  Dennis:  Becomes  a  squaw,  physician,  and 
nurse — Becomes  celebrated — Her  escape— Indians  pursue— Firo  upoii 
her — She  conceals  herself— Crosses  the  Ohio — Reaches  Qrcenbrier— 

,  Lies  down  to  die — Is  discovered  and  sent  forward— Dreadful  revenge- 
Daniel  Boone — Hi  is  captured— Adopted  by  a  chief—  Shows  great  skill 
in  hunting — Is  compelled  to  make  salt— Resolves  to  escape— Succeeds — ' 
An  encounter  with  savages — The  Indiana  are  routed — Anecdote — The 
stolen  venison — The  Indian's  inquiry— His  acuteness- -Duke  Holland— 
A  savage  murde; — Pursuit  of  tho  murdoren* — Mode  of  tracking  them— 
Discover  them — Cowardice — Report  at  home—  Pressure  of  emigration- 
Indian  hostilities  and  barbarities- Combination  against  them  v  'I'ji- 
•othe  attacked— Plan  of  Attack— Retreat— Colonel  Bowman-  Captains 
Logan  and  Harrod— Black-Foot  killed— Kentucky  rangers— Various 
tribet— The  monster  Qirty— General  Uarmar—  Colonel  Hardin — A  se- 

7 


•3^'-'^^:^  '$^^!^i^WB' 


8 


CONTSNTS. 


fwn  oonfliot— The  number  slain— Geuorol  St.  Clnir— Terrible  barbari- 
ties— Loud  call  for  vongnanoe— Qroat  mourning — Two  thousand  sottlert 
killed — Movements  aguinat  the  saragos — A  general  action — Ucneial 
Butler  killod— The  whites  flee— Roach  Fort  Waiihington— The  Missii> 
■ayo  ohiof— His  great  military  skill— General  Sooti— Indians  attacked— 
Their  defeat  complete— Final  great  battle— General  Wayne— Fort  R«- 
oorery— Miami  of  the  Lnkos- Offers  of  pence  to  the  savages  -Evasirs 
reply— Preparations  for  battle— Savages  completely  routed— British 
poit — Indian  towns  and  corn  destroyed— Treaty  of  peace— emigra- 
tion  Pao«  At 

CHAPTER    III. 

INDIAN     OBUKLTIES. 

l*roTOoat!on8  to  the  Indians— Moravian  missionaries— Their  mission  ni* 
lages— Colonel  Williamson  and  his  company— Moravian  Indians  give 
up  their  arms — Are  confined— Entreaty  for  mercy— Prayers  and  praises 
in  prison— One  hundred  Christian  Indians  murd'Tod— Savages  greatly 
exasperated- Revenge  impending— Colonel  Crawford  and  his  expeal» 
tion— Attacked  and  defeated  by  the  Indians— Colonel  Crawford  and 
Dr.  Knight  captured— Wingenund— Interview  between  Wingenund  anu 
Crawford— The  interview  unsuccessful- Preparations  for  the  horribU 
tragedy— Crawford  appeals  to  Qirty— His  answer— Captain  Pipe— The 
rush  upon  Crawford— Horrible  tortures — The  brutal  Girty— His  words 
to  Knight— Crawford  faints— Is  scalped— Dies— Dr.  Knight  escapes- 
Crawford's  son  meets  the  same  fate — Another  tragedy— A  white  family 
attacked— Most  of  them  murdered — Mr.  Morgan— Struggle  for  life— 
Dunkard's  creek— Mrs.  Bosarth— Her  Heroism— Mrs.  Merrill — She  kills 
seven  savages — The  boys,  Henry  and  James  Johnson — Their  brave 
exploit  and  escape  from  captivity 88 


■■•I! 

: 


CHAPTER    IV. 

INDIAN  TRIBES  IN  THE  NOBTH-WESTEBNTERBITOBT. 

Leading  Indian  nations — Indian  origin  unknown — Their  own  traditions 
differ— Different  names  of  the  same  tribes— Wyandotts  or  Hurons — 
Their  territory— The  "  Grand  Fathers  "—War  with  the  Six  Nations- 
Origin  of  the  Seminolos— Wyandotts'  removal  west— Their  wars  with 
other  tribes — Their  humane  and  hospitable  character— Their  bearing 
toward  tribes  at  peace— Treatment  of  prisoners — Their  great  number — 
Their  heroic  valor— The  great  change— The  Indians  despaii^The  "Five 
Nations" — Their  territory— Reason  of  thoir  name— Called  Iroquois  by 
the  French— Tradition  about  their  origin— Mohawks  the  oldest— Onel- 


CONTENTS. 


0 


doi-OuondagM  SaneoM— Cayugiw  Tusoaroru-  Mr.  Thaloh«r  -  Adl- 
rondaoks— Thoir  warlike  oharaotur— Tbeir  allianoe  with  the  French — 
Iroquois  prevail— Become  the  loading  tribe  of  the  continent— Piskaret 
greatly  oolobrated— Great  exploit— Uther  strange  adventures  of  I'isk»> 
ret— Scattering  of  the  tribes  before  the  Iroquois — Extent  of  their  ter 
ritory— Lose  their  pre-eminence  with  the  advance  of  civilisation- 
Origin  of  Ottawas,  Chippewas,  and  I'ottawataniios— Their  emigra- 
tioof— Detroit— Pontiuo  and  the  North-Wcutorn  tribus—Braddock's  do- 
feat-  -Qreat  influence  of  Pontioo— Colonel  Uogers— The  two  meet— 
Pontiac's  domaud— Rogom's  ii  ply— Pontiuo's  responso—Hia  fricndabip 
toward  the  English — His  curiosity — Dosire  to  visit  England— His  change 
toward  the  English — Plan  of  operations — Unfolds  his  plan  to  L'<:  '  ib(^— 
The  Ottawas  warmly  sympathize- The  groat  Indian  allianoe— \'  >r — 
Nine  Uritisih  stations  captured— Traders  taken- Horrible  devas'rti  >ns— 
Indian  strategy— Mackinaw  and  Detroit— The  Delawar.::— WilHnm 
Peon — Captain  Pipe — White-Eyes— Fate  of  the  Shawni-c.  —  Cincintip.ti 
Gazette— Sarcoxv  -His  hospitality — Miasourians  and  Yankees — Ti:e 
Indian  girl — Lodging— The  papoose — Moravian  missions — Horrl  ble  mas- 
•acre  o'  peaoeful  Indians  at  Conostoga—Shawnees— Originally  from 
the  South — Their  character — Alliance  against  thom — Emigrate  north  - 
Principal  headquarters — Names  of  the  Shawnee  tribes — Sitting  in 
council— Origin  of  the  name  Pt^ua- Shawnoes'  theory  of  races— Their 
explanation  of  their  condition — Their  decline — Condition  in  1840 — 
Civilization— Policy  of  the  Government— Treaties  with  fM  several 
tribes — Government  appropriations  to  the  Indian  tribes Pack  92 


OH  AFTER    y. 

IIEOB    OF    DETBOIT    AND    THE    DEATH    OF    POKTIAO. 

Detroit  in  1763— Fortifications— Garrison— Major  Gladwin— Indian  plan- 
Detection—"  Bloody  Bridge  " — Carver's  statement — The  Indian  woman — 
Her  revelation— Active  preparations — Pontiao  admitted  within  the 
fort — Addresses  Major  Gladwin — Is  ordered  from  the  fort — Attacks  the 
fort— Driven  back — A  treaty  proposed— Major  Campbell  and  Lieutenant 
M'Doagal  sent  to  treat — Are  detained — Hostilities  renewed — A  fleet 
of  boats  approach— Is  attacked  by  the  Indians  and  captured— Another 
attempt  to  relieve  the  garrison — Indians  attempt  to  board  the  vessels  — 
Defeated— HxtraoM  from  letters  to  Atlantic  papers,  1763— Fate  of  Ma- 
jor Campbell — M'Dougal  escapes — Detroit  reinforced— Attack  on  the 
Indians  oontemplated— Is  unsuccessful— Indians  weary  of  the  war — 
Pontiao's  army  reduced— Wyandotta  of  Sandusky— General  Bmdstreet — 
A  gnni  oounoil— Peace — Pontiao  disappears— Goes  to  the  Illinois — Let- 
ter respecting  him — Is  assassinated — His  great  influence — His  death 
rarenged — His  memory  revered  by  his  countrymen 128 


if 


10 


C  0  r  T  E  N  T  S . 


CHAPTER    VI. 

VALL  OF   MACKINAWAND  CAPTIVITTOF  MB.HEMBT. 

Mr.  Uenry— Hostile  disposition  of  the  Indians — Plan  against  the  garri' 
son — M.  Ducharme— Strength  of  the  garrison — Gathering  of  Indians — 
Major  Ethcrington — Wawatain— His  friendship  for  Henry — Occasion 
of  it— His  present— His  second  visit— His  talk  with  Henry — Urges  him 
to  leave  the  fort — Indians  in  great  numbers — Baggatiway — Suspicions-  - 
Mr.  Tracy — War  cry — The  Massacre  begun— Henry  seeks  refuge — M. 
Langlade — A  Pani  woman— Sheltered  in  a  garret— Horrible  scene  of 
blood — Indian  search — The  concealment — Dark  prospect — Respite  of 
sleep — Is  discovered — Wenniway — His  appearance— A  reprieve — Still 
in  danger — Life  attempted — A  narrow  escape— Other  prisoners— Num- 
ber killed — The  Jesuit  missionary — Distressing  suspense — Destitute 
condition — Isles  du  Castor — Seized  by  Ottawas — Ottawas  take  posses- 
sion of  the  fort— Complaint  of  the  Chippowas— Prisoners  returned  to 
the  Chippewas— Desperate  condition — Wawatam — His  speech — The  re- 
ply— Henry  delivered  to  Wawatam — More  murders — A  horrid  feast — 
English  traders  seized— Council  seized — Fears  of  the  Indians — Mourn- 
ing custom — Canoes  captured — Drunkenness— Origin  of  the  isame  Mack- 
inaw— Place  of  safety— Proves  to  be  a  place  of  bones  and  skulls — Final 
Escape Page  150 


I.!]- 

If' 
! 


'm 


CHAPTER   VII. 

TECUMSEH    AND    HIS    WAR. 

Tecumsoh  —  His  character — Apprehensions-^ His  father — Birth  —  Early 
bravery — John  Waggoner — His  escape — Murder  of  his  family — Tocum- 
seh's  obstinacy  in  fight — His  influence  extending — A  stout  Kentuck- 
isn— His  alarm— Tecumseh's  expression— His  brother,  "the  Prophet" — 
Tecumseh's  theory  respecting  Indian  lands— Governor  Harrison's  letter 
to  the  Secretary  of  War — Tecumseh  at  Vincennos- Cantain  Floyd's 
aocount — The  council — Tecumseh  states  his  objections  to  the  treaty  of 
Fort  Wayne — His  declaration  of  his  position — Governor  Harrison  re- 
plies— Tecumseh's  singular  conduct — Winnemac — Rev.  Mr.  Winans — 
Harrison  demands  an  explanation — Tecumseh's  reply — Harrison  breaks 
up  the  council — Listens  to  Tecumseh's  explanations  next  day — Position 
of  other  chiefs — The  Governor's  answer— Governor  visits  Tecumseh's 
camp— Further  conversation — The  overflowing  water — The  dam— Te- 
(Aimseh's  proposal  and  threat — Final  declaration — Reflections  on  Tecam- 
seh's  conduct  at  the  council — Bearing  of  the  Indians — Wrongly  treated 
by  the  whites— Harrison's  Testimony — Military  force  secured  for  emorg< 


CONTENTS. 


u 


enoies — Hamson'!>  speech  to  the  Indians — Tecumsoh's  reply — Frequeut 
Indian  murders  and  robberies — Another  council — Tecuniseh  in  the 
south— Interview  with  Big  Warrior— His  strange  threat — Its  singular 
fulfillment— Ilarrison'd  efforts  for  peace— Assurances  of  the  Prophet- 
Battle  of  Tippecanoe— Defeat  of  the  Indians — Their  rage  against  the 
Prophet — Loses  his  popularity  and  power — Teoumseh  returns  from  the 
louth — Reproaches  the  Prophet— Declares  his  peaceful  intentions — In- 
sincerity— Joms  the  British Page  182 

CH  A  PTER    VIII. 

,  DEATHOFTEOUMSEH. 

War  with  Great  Britain— Tecumseh  declares  his  real  position — Crosses  to 
Brownstown — Attacks  Major  Van  Home,  who  retreats — General  Hull — 
Battle  with  the  British  and  Indians — General  Brock — Tecumseh's  Rkotch 
of  the  country — Investment  of  Fort  Meigs — Battle — Proctor's  plans — 
His  pledge  to  Tecu  seh — Capture  of  Colo  lel  Dudley — Murder  of  his 
troops — Tccumseh's  interference — Releases  the  Shawnee  captives — Be- 
comes disheartened — Meditates  withdrawal  from  the  contest — Is  pre- 
vented—Address to  Proctor— Proctor's  promises — Tecumseh's  prediction 
of  his  death — Arrangement  of  the  British  forces — Arrangement  of  the 
Americans- British  in  open  orcfer— Colonel  Johnson's  charge — British 
recoil— Surrender — Loss  on  either  side — Tecumseh's  conduct — His  fate- 
Description  of  him 209 


CHAPTER    IX.  - 

JOHN      STEWART. 

The  Wyandott  natiori — Its  degradation— Roman  Catholics — Their  instruc- 
tion— John  Stewart — Origin — Birthplace  —  Emigration — '"'  ipation  — 

'  Conviction  and  conversion — Joins  the  Methodist  Church — Call  to 
preach — Voices  from  the  North-west- Impressions  to  travel  thither — 
Seta  off— Reaches  Goshen— Goes  to  Pipetown— Indian  dance— Stewart 
sings— Indians  listen — "Sing  more'* — Exhorts — Goes  to  Upper  San- 
dusky— Suspected  to  be  a  slave- Finds  friends — Jonathan  Pointer — 
Becomes  Stewart's  interpreter — Meetings — Some  Indians  converted — 
Persecution — The  Catholic  priest— Stewart's  Bible — Mrs.  Walkor— 
Great  religious  interest— Pointer's  conversion— Stewart's  faithfulness — 
John  Hick« — His  speech — Mononcue — His  views— Stewart  replit!«--A 
fresh  revival — The  power  of  the  Spirit— Heathen  efforts— Groat  feast 
and  dance— Siewart  leaves  Sandusky— Regrets — Promises  to  return — 
Goes  to  Marietta — His  letter  to  Mr.  Walker — Accompanying  address 
to  the  Indians •• 233 


12 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    X. 

JOHN    STEWART'S    RETURN    TO    THE    WTAND0TT8. 

Backslidings  and  disorders — Stewart's  porseverauce — Opposition — Meaoi 
used — Stewart  has  some  success — Returns  to  Marietta — Again  among 
the  Indians — Interference — Moses  Grume's  remarks  of  Stewart — Local 
preachers  aid  Stewart — John  P.  Finley — Robert  Armstrong — Mission 
taken  into  the  regular  work — J.  Montgomery — R.  Bigclow — R.  W.  Fin- 
ley — Moses  Henkie — First  Indian  quarterly  meeting — Between-the- 
Logs's  testimony — John  Hicks's  —  Scuteash — Mononoue's  interesting 
speech — Finley's  address — Meeting  appointed — Mononcue,  speaker— 
Henkie  reappointed— 1820— First  Indian  mission  of  the  Method:.'! 
Episcopal  Church— School  proposed — Indian  address  to  the  confer- 
ence  Page  257 


Hi  ' 


CHAPTER    XI. 

THE    AI^THOR    APPOINTED    MISSIONARY  TO    THB 

W  YANDOTTS. 

Finley  missionary  to  the  Wyandotts — Preparations  for  moving — The  mis- 
sion family — Safe  arrival — Camp  Meigs — Accident — Recovery— Hard 
work — Cold  winter — Stewart — Happy  death  of  an  Indian  woman — So- 
ciety formed — Rules — Numbers  increase — Influences  of  traders  and 
whisky — Indian  god,  the  devil  —  Indian  exhortation — The  squaw'a 
dream  —  Sugar-making — Raccoons  and  molasses  —  Winter  hunting- 
camps — Raccoon  traps — Bears  in  winter — Mode  of  catching  them — 
Their  young — Bear-oil — Indian  provision  in  war — Meetings  at  the  hunt- 
ing-camps— Preaching — Mononcue's  views  of  rum-waking  and  selling — 
Use  of  law— Confession  of  faults— Plain  talk— The  heathen  party — 
Judicious  instruction — Indian  camp  meeting — The  desert  blossoms  as 
the  rose — A  squaw  converted  on  horseback — Sickness — Triumph — Be- 
covery — Stewart— Provision  for  him — Chiefs  at  the  conference — Their 
address — Bishop  M'Kendree's  reply 288 


CHAPTER   XII. 

VISIT    TO    NEIOHBORINQ    TRIBES. 

Author  appointed  to  Lebanon  district  and  superintendent  of  the  mission — 
Charles  Elliott,  missionary — School  rapidly  increases— Great  opposi- 
tion—Bloody-Eyes —  Threatens  his  brother — Is  converted  —  Dies  {■ 
peace— De-un-quot  and  his  party— The  sermon— The  Indiana  reply— 
The  missionary's^answer— The  chief  becomes  excited  —Death  of  Deun- 


CONTENTS. 


18 


qaot — Between-the-Loga  and  the  fraudulent  trader— The  trial — YMt 
to  the  neighboring  tribes — Difference  of  Presbyterians  and  Method- 
ists—Rescue of  Jonathan— Van  Meter — He  is  made  class-leader — Fort 
Ball — Seneca  chiefs— Speech  of  the  head  chief— Answered  by  Between- 
the-Logs— Recommends  the  true  religion — Hicks  speaks — Mononoue 
speaks — His  stirring  eloquence — An  Indian  recognized  after  twenty-fire 
7^.ar8 — Rattlesnake  root — Senecas  and  Delawares Pjlob  324 

CHAPTER   XIII.  ' 

BISHOP    H'KENDBEE    AND    THE    MISSION. 

Quarterly  meeting— Eloquent  address  of  Betwecn-thc-Logs — Rerival— • 
The  mission  school — Bishop  M'Kendree — His  letter  respecting  the  mis- 
sion— His  notice  of*  the  schools — Opinion  of  the  chiefs  about  the 
schools — Letter  of  Mr.  Johnston—  Temptations — The  Sabbath— The  In- 
dian's Christian  experience — T'le  true  civilization — Importance  of  a 
skillful  interpreter — Eril' infljence  of  white  men — The  Indian  to  the 
Indian  agent — Expense  of  the  mission — The  national  brand — Journal 
of  acts- Stand  against  polygamy  and  adultery — Case  of  divorce — A 
great  advance — Indian  independence  of  character — Discipline  of  chil- 
dren—Favorable traits 347 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

EXOUBSION    TO    THE    NOBTHEBN    TBIBE8. 

Reappointment  to  the  mission— Jacob  Hooper — Mrs.  Hooper — Instruction 
to  extend  missionary  labors— Governor  Cass — His  statement  of  facts — 
Chippewas- John  Stewart — His  feeble  health — Death — Start  for  tho 
north — Reflections  amid  tho  journey — Lodging — Anecdote  of  Indian 
war — Black  Swamp — The  ring-hunt  —  Fording  the  Maumee  —  An  In- 
dian Christian— View  of  rum-selling — Praying  in  the  snow — Difficul- 
ties— Honnis — His  address— His  history — Fort  Maiden — Reaches  De- 
troit— Interview  with  Governor  Cass — Kish-a-kauk-o— His  desperate 
character — Adam  Brown — Preaching  to  the  Indians — A  Church  organ- 
ised— First  Methodist  Indian  society  in  Canada — Journeyings  and 
preaching — Returns  to  Detroit — A  time  of  refreshing. 377 


CHAPTER   XV. 

OONYEBTBD    INDIANS    ON    A   WINTKB    HUNT. 

Betnm  joomey— Sea-biscuit— Crossing  tho  Maumee— Reaches  the  mis- 
rion— Heathenism  at  work— Objections  to  the  Biblo— Difficulties  with 
the  sub-agent— Mission  defended— Indian  honesty— Revival—  Its  inta- 


iS- 


IVI 


mmm 


14 


CONTENTS. 


onee  among  tho  children— Ilannah  Armstrong— Her  conversion — Trl- 
amphant  death — The  winter  hunt— Instructions — Christian  steudfast- 
ness — Indiana  reprove  the  whites — Astonishment — Sum-mun-de-wat — 
His  interview  with  a  preacher — Return  of  the  hunting  party  to  the 
mission— Efforts  against  religion — Keasoning  with  the  erring — Friend- 
ships— Improvements — Policy  of  tho  mission— Place  of  worship— Visit 
to  Washington — Monroe— Calhoun Page  402 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

BISHOPS     M'KENDBEE     AND    SOULE     IN     COUNCIL 
WITH    THE     INDIANS. 

Missionary  meeting,  Baltimore,  1824— Addresses — Author  reports  the 
work  among  the  Wyandotts  —  Summerfield  —  His  address  —  Amusing 
account — The  little  girl's  penny  and  shilling — William  Wirt — Visit  to 
the  mission  by  M'Kendrce  and  Soule — Bishop  Soulc's  account— Ap- 
pearance of  the  crops — Public  worship — Great  devotion  of  tho  Indians — 
The  school — Promising  appearance  of  the  children — Mononcue's  ad- 
dress tf,  the  Bishop — Punch — Peacock — Sum-mun-de-wat— Gray-Eyes — 
Big-T ree  —  Washington  —  Two-Logs — Joseph  Williams  —  Mononcue's 
closing  speech — Mr.  Walker— Good  prospects 424 


I  ' 


?. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

REMOVAL    or    THE     WYANDOTTS. 

Return  to  the  mission,  1824 — Removal  of  the  Indians  —  Their  opposi- 
tion—Their appeal  to  Government — Reply  of  the  Department — Tho 
pledge  of  the  Government  renewed— Indians  quieted — Two  things  req- 
uisite— Permanent  establishment  of  the  school — Division  of  lands — 
General  Cass — Removal  still  agitated — Exhibit  of  condition  and  claims 
of  the  Wyandotts — A  conquered  enemy — Become  faithful  friends — A 
merciful  tribe — Civilization  probable— Pledge  of  Government— Pretext 
for  removal — Pretext  examined — Author's  views  of  removal— Number  in 
society — Death  of  Robert  Armstrong— His  early  capture— Adoption  pf 
Indian  habits  and  life — Became  an  interpreter— Became  a  Christian — 
His  character — Last  sickness — Author  appointed  sub-agent— Scuteash — 
His  fall — Promises  reform — Falls  again— His  sun  sets  in  a  cloud*  ••  442 


^         CHAPTER    XVIII. 

VISIT    TO    THE    EAST    WITH    INDIAN    CHIEFS. 

Author  retamed  to  the  mission,  1825— John  C.  Brooke— A  haxardou 
journey— A  terrible  night — Conversion  of  Soionta— His  former  char- 


CONTENTS. 


la 


acter — Powerfui  conviction  and  conversion — Great  stir— His  porscvor- 
»nce — A  powerful  influence — Statistics  of  the  mission — Letter  of  in- 
vitation to  the  missionary  anniversary — The  journey — The  party — 
Reception  at  Bubiilo— Canal  beat— Captain  Smith— Sabbath — Preach- 
ing— The  Indian  prayer  and  exhortation— Effect — Arrive  at  Albany — 
New  York — Noise  of  the  city — Sight-seciiig — The  sea-turtle— Gas-light 
exhibition — The  party  lionized — The  anniversary — Bascom's  sermon — 
Betwecn-the-Logs — His  account  of  Catholic  influence — Soneca  prophet — 
Shawnee  prophet — Finley  and  Mononcue  follow— Durbin's  speech — 
Philadelphia— Dr.  Sargent — Sam.  Merwin — Meetings — Water-works — 
Baltimore — Bishops  Soule  and  M'Kendree — Great  interest— Baltimore 
camp  meeting— Thrilling  address  of  Botween-the-Logs — Washington 
City— Judge  M'Lean— Return  homo Paok  463 

C  H  A  P  T  E  R    X  I  X . 

DIVISION    OF    THE    WYANDOTT    LAND3. 

Author's  health  impaired— M'Kendree's  influence — His  address  to  the 
Indian  Christians — Reply — The  Bishop's  valedictory— Solemn  parting — 
Division  of  land — Principles  of  the  division — Principles  approved  by 
the  chiefs --Good  effect  of  the  division  —  Mononcue's  letter  to  the 
Author,  1830— Happy  death  of  Big-Troe's  wife— Murder— The  Mur- 
derer executed — Big  George — His  wife — Her  conversion — Marries  Sum- 
mun-de-wat  —  Her  triumpbunt  death  —  The  fruitful  cause  of  Indian 
murder 490 


CHA  PTER  XX. 

BIOQRAPHICAIi    SKETCHES. 

I.  Captain  John • 508 

II.  Contain  Lewis 612 

III.  Capiain  Shigser 513 

IV.  Little  Turtle 514 

V.  Billy  Wyandott  and  wife 618 

VL  John  Van  Meter 519 

VII.  Blaok-Hoof 620 

Vin.  The  Crane,  or  Tarhe 52.'^ 

IX.  De-un-quot 630 

X.  Keokuk 631 

XI.  Snm-man-de-wat 644 


LIFE  AMONG  THE  INDIANS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

REMOVAL  TO  THE  NORTH-WESTERN  TERRITORY. 

In  the  spring  of  1796,  I  emigrated  to  the  North- 
western territory,  and  commenced  planting  corn  on 
the  prairie,  a  little  below  where  Chillicothe  now 
stands.  The  country  was  then  a  dense  wilderness. 
There  was  not  even  a  "  blazed  path  "  connecting  with 
Wheeling,  Va.,  or  Maysville,  Ky.;  nor  was  there  a 
single  inhabitant  along  all  the  route.  Civilization 
now  began  to  assert  the  supremacy  of  her  claim  to 
the  uncultivated  land  over  which  the  native  savage 
and  the  wild  beast  had  roamed  for  untold  ages.  This 
was,  in  reality,  "  life  among  the  Indians ;"  and  espe- 
cially was  it  the  commencement  of  a  series  of  events 
in  my  personal  history,  as  related  to  the  Indians, 
which  I  design  to  record  in  this  volume. 

My  father,  after  emigrating  to  Kentucky,  pur- 
chased some  land,  and  settled  near  the  present  town 
of  Flemingsburg.     This  was  in  1789.     Ours  was  the 

frontier  house  of  the  settlement,  and  we  were  much 

2  17 


18 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


exposed  to  the  incursions  of  Indians  and  wild  beasts. 
The  next  year  we  moved  to  Bourbon  county.  Here 
my  father  ministered  to  two  congregations — one  at 
Cane  Ridge,  the  other  at  Concord.  Both  were  pros- 
perous in  a  high  degree. 

But  we  found  here  also  causes  of  serious  discon- 
tent. There  was  great  uncertainty  among  the  set- 
tlers as  to  the  title  to  their  lands.  Some  of  them 
had  spent  their  last  farthing  in  the  purchase  of  their 
lands;  and  then,  after  encountering  all  the  dangers 
and  toils  of  pioneer  life,  in  clearing  and  bringing 
them  under  cultivation,  some  other  claimant  would 
come  and  dispossess  them  of  their  homes.  In  such 
cases  there  was  often  no  redress.  The  unprincipled 
speculator,  having  sold  his  spurious  title,  would  dis- 
appear, and  when  the  defrauded  settler  discovered 
that  his  claim  was  worthless,  could  not  be  found. 
My  father  was  also  utterly  opposed  to  the  system 
of  slavery  which  prevailed  in  Kentucky,  and  had 
liberated  his  slaves.  This  brought  down  upon  him 
the  ill-will  and  persecution  of  the  fiery  advocates 
of  the  system.  The  main  body  of  both  his  congre- 
gations, however,  strongly  sympathized  with  him  in 
his  antislavery  views;  and  the  mutual  ties  that  bound 
them  together  were  so  strong,  that  -nearly  the  whole 
of  them  finally  emigrated  with  him  to  the  North- 
Western  territory. 

While  this  state  of  things  existed  on  the  Kentucky 
side  of  the  river,  their  attention  was  drawn  to  the 
rich  lands  of  the  Scioto  Valley.     These  lands  had 


;.  ammmtwmmt^n^mmkti 


I'f!-'.  'i.'.-i'L'J  '.'I"'*?-'  !"Jl'''i''''.'!!'!'l''iI.!J)*  tlj! 


COL.  massie's  station. 


19 


been  surveyed  by  Col.  Massie,  in  1792,  and  he  gave 
the  most  glowing  accounts  of  the  fertility  of  the 
soil  and  the  beauty  of  the  scenery.  My  father,  in 
the  latter  part  of  1794,  opened  a  negotiation  with 
Massie  for  a  tract  of  from  fifteen  to  twenty  miles 
square,  for  the  settlement  of  his  two  congregations, 
?nd  such  other  friends  from  eastern  Pennsylvania, 
as  might  choose  to  join  him.  On  the  succeeding 
March,  Col.  Massie  visited  him  at  his  residence. 
Here  he  had  an  interview  with  a  large  company  of 
those  who  were  anxious  to  emigrate,  and  arrange- 
ments for  that  purpose  were  made.  A  day  was  fixed 
upon  for  a  general  rendezvous  at  Massie*s  Station, 
now  Manchester,  and  my  father  took  immediate  meas- 
ures to  apprise  his  friends  in  the  east  of  the  arrange- 
ments, and  the  prospects  of  the  enterprise. 

Massie's  Station  was  about  twelve  miles  above  Mays- 
ville,  but  upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  The 
settlement  had  been  made  in  1791,  and  now  consisted 
of  about  thirty  families.  They  were  strongly  in- 
trenched in  their  log-cabins,  and  the  whole  town 
was  inclosed  with  strong  pickets  firmly  fixed  in  the 
ground,  with  block-houses  at  each  angle  for  defense. 
Though  the  most  desperate  Indian  war  was  then  rag- 
ing, and  fearful  barbarities  were  committed  by  the 
savages,  this  settlement,  owing  to  its  excellent  prepa- 
rations for  defense,  and  the  watchfulness  of  the  brave 
spirits  that  guarded  it,  suffered  comparatively  little. 
£yen  their  agricultural  labors  were  prosecuted  with 
comparative  safety ;  for  having  cleared  the  lowest  of 


■«i 


20 


i'FE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


the  "  Three  Islands,"  which  were  in  the  river  just  op- 
posite to  their  settlement,  they  planted  it  with  corn. 
The  soil  was  very  rich,  and  the  crops  abundant,  so 
that  the  wants  of  the  little  settlement  were  abund- 
antly supplied.  Besides  this,  there  were  at  this  time 
only  two  settlements  on  the  north-western  bank  of 
the  Ohio — one  at  Columbia,  eight  miles  above  Cin- 
cinnati, and  one  at  Gallipolis,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Great  Kanawha.  These  were  the  germs  of  the  great 
north-western  states,  which  now,  in  population,  enter- 
prise, wealth,  and  refinement,  take  their  rank  as  stars 
of  the  first  magnitude  in  the  glorious  constellation  of 
our  Union. 

The  location  at  the  "  Three  Islands  "  was  the  head- 
quarters of  Massie's  surveying  party.  From  this 
point  he  went  out  in  every  direction,  surveying  the 
country  and  making  locations.  An  incident  may 
illustrate  the  perilous  nature  of  this  work.  It  was 
his  invariable  rule  to  keep  spies  around  him;  and  if 
signs  of  Indians  in  the  neighborhood  were  discovered, 
he  would  retire  to  his  strongly-fortified  post.  At  one 
time,  however,  in  the  spring  of  1792,  while  prosecu- 
ting his  surveys,  accompanied  by  three  men — one  of 
them  named  Donaldson — a  party  of  Indians  suddenly 
came  upon  them.  Fortunately,  the  Indians  had  left 
their  arms  in  their  canoe,  at  the  landing.  Massie 
and  his  party  fled.  The  Indians,  with  horrid  yells, 
pursued  them.  Descending  a  hill,  the  party  had  to 
leap  a  ravine  some  twelve  feet  in  width,  and  about 
the  same  depth.    Three  of  them  succeeded  in  effect* 


I 


itthimmi 


iMWi 


INDIAN    CAPTURE. 


21 


ing  tbo  leap ;  but  poor  Donaldson  failed  to  reach  firm 
footing  on  the  opposite  bank,  and  fell  back  into  the 
ditch.  The  other  three  made  good  their  escape  to 
the  Station,  and  gave  the  alarm.  The  next  morning, 
with  a  party  of  twenty  men,  Massie  returned  to 
learn  the  fate  of  his  companion,  and  to  rescue  him, 
if  possible.  He  found  that  Donaldson  had  evidently 
been  captured  and  taken  off  by  the  Indians.  lie 
pursued  their  trail  some  distance,  but  found  no  chance 
to  surprise  them;  and  knowing  that  if  the  Indians 
were  aware  of  his  pursuit,  they  would  immediately 
butcher  the  unfortunate  Donaldson,  while,  if  left  un- 
molested, they  might  spare  him  till  he  found  some 
chance  to  escape,  he  gave  over  the  pursuit.  Ho 
judged  rightly — Donaldson  finally  escaped. 

When  he  made  his  unfortunate  plunge,  the  fore- 
most Indian  was  close  to  his  heels,  and  instantly 
leaped  upon  him,  tomahawk  in  hand.  Donaldson  im- 
mediately surrendered,  and  was  made  a  prisoner. 
The  party  consisted  of  eight  or  ten  Indians,  who. 
had  been  trapping,  up  the  Big  Sandy,  and  were  now 
on  their  return  to  Wapatomaka — now  Zanesfield — on 
Mad  river.  It  was  late  in  the  evening  when  they 
took  him,  and  they  immediately  loaded  him  with  their 
peltry,  and  made  a  rapid  march  homeward.  In  a  few 
days  he  began  to  think  about  effecting  his  escape, 
although  the  difficulties  against  which  he  had  to  con- 
tend were  great,  owing  to  the  extreme  CEution  and 
watchfulness  of  the  Indians.  At  night  they  took  a 
Btrong  tug — a  rope  made  of  the  raw  hide  of  the 


22 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


I 


i| 


I 


11! 


buffulo  or  elk — and  fastened  it  around  his  body,  each 
end  of  tlie  tug  being  tied  around  the  body  of  an 
Indian.  The  tug  was  tied  so  tightly,  that  it  could 
not  be  slipped,  nor  could  he  move  to  the  one  side  or 
the  other  without  drawing  the  Indian  after  him.  It 
was  from  such  a  situation  he  had  to  extricate  himself. 
One  night,  while  the  Indians  were  tying  him  after  the 
usual  manner,  he  puffed  up  his  body  to  its  full  extent, 
by  drawing  in  his  breath ;  and  when  they  had  com- 
pleted the  process,  he  found  that  there  was  a  good 
deal  of  play  in  the  noose  of  the  tug.  He  laid  very 
still  till  the  Indians  were  fast  asleep;  then,  having 
partly  undressed  himself,  he  began  slowly  and  cau 
tiously  to  slip  from  the  ncose.  After  a  long  trial 
he  succeeded,  and  found  himself  once  more  a  free 
man.  He  instantly  rushed  to  the  thickets.  The 
night  was  clear,  and  he  could  steer  his  course  by  the 
stars.  Striking  off  in  a  southern  direction,  he  trav- 
eled all  night.  The  next  day  he  fell  on  Harmer's 
old  trace,  and  followed  its  course  to  the  south.  In 
two  days  he  reached  Fort  Washington,  now  Cincin- 
nati. Here  he  remained  a  few  days  to  lecruit  him- 
self, and  then  returned  to  his  friends  at  Massie's 
Station,  where  he  was  most  joyfully  received,  as  they 
had  felt  great  anxiety  as  to  his  fate.  The  creek,  at 
the  mouth  of  which  he  was  taken,  wps  called  after 
him  "  Donaldson's  Creek ;"  which  name  it  still  retains, 
and  will  retain  when  the  event  which  gave  birth  to 
its  name  will  be  forgotten.  About  the  year  1840, 
Mr.  Donaldson  was  still  living  at  the  old  settlement— 


A    NAUROW     ESCAPE. 


23 


the  only  one  of  the  original  settlers  remaining  there. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  convention  which  formed 
the  Constitution  of  the  state  of  Ohio,  and  lived  to 
witness  the  gigantic  development  of  the  state  in 
which  he  was  one  of  the  first  pioneers. 

During  this  same  year  Massie  had  another  narrow 
escape.  He  had  advanced  with  his  surveying  party 
up  the  Little  Miami,  till  he  reached  the  spot  where 
the  town  of  Xenia  now  stands,  witliout  the  least 
molestation  or  obstruction  from  the  Indians.  Early 
one  morning,  as  they  were  going  out  to  resume  their 
labors.  General  Lytic  perceived  an  Indian  leveling 
his  gun  at  Massie,  who  was  in  advance  of  the  others. 
Quick  as  thought  he  fired  at  the  Indian,  killing  him 
dead.  The  party  then  advanced  cautiously,  and  soon 
discovered  an  encampment  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
Indians.  It  was  now  time  to  retreat.  The  Indians 
were  in  full  chase.  It  was  a  race  for  life;  but  the 
whole  party  succeeded  in  making  good  their  flight, 
and  reached  the  Station  in  iafety. 

In  the  spring  of  1793  the  settlers  at  Massie's  Sta- 
tion commenced  clearing  some  lots  outside  of  their 
picket-fence,  but  in  its  immediate  vicinity.  Here  an 
incident  occurred,  which  will  illustrate  the  constant 
peril  of  the  early  settlers.  A  Mr.  Andrew  Ellison, 
one  of  the  settlers,  cleared  a  lot  immediately  adjoin- 
ing the  fort.  He  had  completed  the  cutting  of  the 
timber,  rolled  the  logs  together,  and  set  them  on  fire. 
The  next  morning,  a  short  time  before  day-break,  Mr. 
Ellison  opened  one  of  the  gates  of  the  fort,  and  went 


mimm^^ 


24 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


out  to  throw  his  logs  together.  By  the  time  he  had 
finished  this  job,  a  number  of  the  heaps  blazed  up 
brightly,  and  as  he  was  passing  from  ore  to  the  other, 
he  observed,  by  the  light  of  the  fires,  three  men 
walking  briskly  toward  him.  This  did  not  alarm  hinc 
in  the  least,  although,  he  said,  they  were  dark-skinned 
fellows ;  yet  he  concluded  they  were  the  Wades,  whose 
comrlexions  were  very  dark,  going  early  to  hunt. 
He  continued  to  right  his  log-heaps,  till  one  of  the 
fellows  seized  him  by  the  arms,  and  called  out  in 
broken  English,  "How  do?  how  do?"  He  instantly 
looked  in  their  faces,  and  to  his  surprise  and  hor- 
ror, found  himself  in  the  clutches  of  three  Indians. 
To  resist  was  useless.  He,  therefore,  submitted  to 
his  fate,  without  any  resistance  or  an  attempt  to  es- 
cape. 

The  Indians  quickly  moved  off  with  him  in  the 
direction  of  Paint  creek.  When  breakfast  was  ready, 
Mrs.  Ellison  sent  one  of  her  children  to  ask  their 
father  home ;  but  he  could  not  be  found  at  the  log- 
heaps.  His  absence  created  no  immediate  alarm,  as 
it  was  thought  he  might  have  started  to  hunt,  after 
the  completion  of  his  work.  Dinner  time  arrived,  and 
Ellison  not  returning,  the  family  became  uneasy,  and 
began  to  suspect  some  accident  had  happened  to  him. 
His  gun-rack  was  examined,  and  there  hung  his  rifle 
and  his  pouch  in  their  usual  place.  Massie  raised  a 
party,  and  made  a  circuit  around  the  place,  and  found, 
after  some  search,  the  trails  of  four  men,  one  of  whom 
had  on  shoes;  and  as  Ellison  had  shoes  on,  the  truth, 


%4^\- 


■.-rfalM»»»  ■«»':■»■ 


CAPTURE    0\     tfliLISON. 


25 


that  the  Indians  had  made  him  a  prisoner,  was  un- 
folded. As  it  was  almost  .iigLt  at  the  time  the  trail 
TV  as  discovered,  the  party  returned  to  the.  Station. 
Next  morning,  early  preparations  were  made  by  Mas- 
sie  and  his  party  to  pursue  the  Indians.  In  doing 
this,  they  found  great  diflSculty,  as  it  was  so  early  in 
the  spring  that  the  vegetation  was  not  of  suflScient 
growth  to  show  plainly  the  trail  of  the  Indians,  who 
took  the  precaution  to  keep  on  hard  and  high  land, 
where  their  feet  could  make  little  or  no  impression. 
Massie  and  his  party,  however,  were  as  unerring  as  a 
pack  of  well-trained  hounds,  and  followed  the  trail  to 
Paint  creek,  when  they  found  the  Indians  gained  so 
fast  on  them  that  pursuit  was  vain.  They  therefore 
abandoned  it,  and  returned  to  the  Station. 

The  Indians  took  their  prisoner  to  Upper  San- 
dusky, and  compelled  him  to  run  the  gantlet.  As 
Ellison  was  a  large  man,  and  not  very  active,  he  re- 
ceived a  severe  flogging  as  he  passed  along  the  line. 
From  this  place  he  was  taken  to  Lower  Sandusky, 
and  was  agiiin  compelled  to  run  the  gantlet,  and  was 
then  taken  to  Detroit,  where  he  was  generously  ran- 
somed bv  a  British  oflScer  for  one  hundred  dollars. 
He  was  shortly  afterward  sent  by  his  friend,  the  offi- 
cer, to  Montreal,  from  whence  he  returned  home  be- 
fore the  close  of  the  summer  of  the  same  year. 

Soon  after  this  another  incident,  of  a  still  more 
serious  character,  occurred;  and  when  it  is  remem- 
bered that  it  occurred  less  than  two  years  before  our 

Bcttlement  wa«  effected  in  the  interior  of  the  Scioto 

3 


wm 


26 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIAKP 


I     'ill 


II 


'f 


region,  the  reader  will  readily  conceive  that  our  sit- 
uation was  not  without  its  perils.  The  incident  of 
which  I,speak  i?  as  follows: 

John  Edgington,  Asahel  Edgington,  and  another 
man,  started  out  on  a  hunting  expedition,  toward 
Brush  creek.  They  camped  out  six  miles,  in  a  north- 
east direction  from  where  West  Union  now  stands, 
and  near  Treber's  tavern,  on  the  road  from  Chillicothe 
to  Maysville.  The  Edgingtons  had  good  success  in 
hunting,  having  killed  a  number  of  deer  and  bears. 
Of  the  deer  killed,  they  saved  the  skins  and  hams 
alone.  The  bears  they  fleeced;  that  is,  they  cut  oflf 
all  the  meat  which  adhered  to  the  hide  without  skin- 
ning, and  left  the  bones  as  a  skeleton.  They  hung 
up  the  proceeds  of  their  hunt  on  a  scaffold,  out  of  the 
reach  of  the  wolves  and  other  wild  animals,  and  re- 
turned home  fcr  pack-horses.  The  two  Edgingtons 
returned  to  the  camp  alone.  No  one  apprehended 
danger,  as  the  winter  season  was  usually  a  time  of 
repose  from  Indian  incursions.  They  arrived  at  their 
hunting  camp,  alighted  from  their  horses,  and  were 
preparing  to  strike  a  fire,  when  a  platoon  of  Indians 
fired  upon  them,  at  the  distance  of  not  more  than 
twenty  paces.  A;:?ahel  Edgington  fell  to  rise  no  more, 
John  was  more  fortunate.  The  sharp  crack  of  the 
rifles,  and  the  horrid  yelb  of  the  Indians,  as  they 
leaped  from  their  place  of  ambush,  frightened  the 
horses,  who  took  the  track  toward  home  at  full  speed 
John  Edgington  was  very  active  on  foot,  and  now 
•an  occasion  offered  which  rer^uired  his  utmost  speed. 


A    RACE    FOR    LIFE. 


27 


The  Indians  threw  down  their  guns  and  pursued  him, 
screaming  and  yelling  in  the  most  horrid  manner. 
Edginglon  ran  no  easy  race.  For  about  a  mile  the 
Indians  stepped  into  his  tracks  almost  before  the 
bending  grass  could  rise.  The  uplifted  tomahawk 
was  frequently  so  near  his  head,  that  he  thought  he 
felt  its  edge.  Every  effort  was  made  to  save  his  life, 
and  every  exertion  of  the  Indians  was  made  to  ar- 
rest him  in  his  flight.  At  length  he  began  to  gain  on 
his  pursuers,  and  after  a  long  race,  distanced  them, 
and  safely  reached  home.  It  was  a  most  fearful  and 
well-contested  race. 

The  big  Shawnee  chief.  Captain  John,  who  headed 
the  Indians  on  this  occasion,  after  peace  was  made, 
and  Chillicothe  settled,  frequently  gave  the  writer  of 
this  sketch  an  account  of  the  race.  He  said,  "  That 
white  man  smart  felloAv;  he  run  and  I  run;  he  run 
and  run;  and  at  last  he  run  clear  oflf  from  me." 

During  the  winter  of  1792-3,  Massie  explored  the 
valley  of  Paint  creek  and  part  of  the  Scioto  country. 
These  excursions  were  full  of  peril;  but  the  plan 
adopted  by  Massie  was  such  as  to  insure  the  greatest 
possible  security.  He  usually  had  three  assistant 
surveyors ;  each  surveyor,  including  himself,  was  ac- 
companied by  six  men,  which  made  a  mess  of  seven, 
and  the  whole  party  would  amount  to  twenty-eight 
Every  man  had  his  prescribed  duty  to  perform.  Theii 
operations  were  conducted  in  this  manner:  In  front 
went  the  hunter,  who  kept  in  advance  of  the  surveyor 
two  or  three  hundred  yards,  looking  for  game,  and 


mm 


28 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


.!i 


prepared,  to  give  notice,  should  any  danger  from  In- 
dians threaten.  Then  followed,  after  the  surveyor,  the 
two  chain-men,  marker,  '^nd  pjlck-horse  man  with  the 
baggage,  who  always  kept  near  each  other,  to  be  pre- 
pared for  defense,  in  case  of  an  atti.ck.  Lastly,  two 
or  three  hundred  yards  in  the  rear,  camv^  a  man,  called 
the  spy,  whose  duty  it  was  to  keep  on  tho  back  trail, 
and  look  out,  lest  the  party  in  advance  might  be  pur- 
sued and  attacked  by  surprise.  Each  man — the  sur- 
veyor not  excepted — carried  his  rifle,  his  blanket,  and 
such  other  articles  as  he  might  stand  in  need  of.  On 
the  pack-horse  was  carried  the  cooking  utensils,  and 
such  provisions  as  could  be  most  conveniently  taken. 
Nothing  like  bread  was  thought  of.  Some  salt  was 
taken,  to  be  used  sparingly.  For  subsistence,  they 
depended  alone  on  the  game  which  the  woods  af- 
forded, procured  by  their  unerring  rifles.  In  this 
manner  was  the  largest  number  of  surveys  made  in 
the  district.  , 

When  night  came,  four  fires  were  made  for  cook- 
ing, that  is,  one  for  each  mess.  Around  these  fires 
till  sleeping  time  arrived,  the  company  spent  theij 
time  in  social  glee,  singing  songs,  and  telling  stories 
When,  danger  was  not  apparent  or  immediate,  thej 
were  as  merry  a  set  of  men  as  ever  assembled.  Rest- 
ing time  arriving,  Massie  always  gave  the  signal,  and 
the  whole  party  would  leave  their  comfortable  fires, 
carrying  with  them  their  blankets,  their  fire-arms,  and 
their  little  baggage,  walking  in  perfect  silence  two  or 
three  hundred  yards  from  their  fires.     They  would 


('■V 


IM 


LODGING    AMID    THE    SNOW. 


29 


then  scrape  away  the  snow,  and  huddle  down  together 
for  the  night.  Each  mess  formed  one  bed ;  they  would 
spread  down  on  the  ground  one  half  of  the  blankets, 
reserving  the  other  half  for  covering.  The  covering 
blankets  were  fastened  together  by  skewers,  to  pre- 
vent them  from  slipping  apart.  Thus  prepared,  the 
whole  party  crouched  down  together  with  their  rifles 
in  their  arms,  and  their  pouches  under  their  heads  for 
pillows ;  lying  "  spoon-fashion,"  with  three  heads  one 
way  and  four  the  other,  their  feet  extending  to  about 
the  middle  of  their  bodies.  When  one  turned,  the 
whole  mess  turned,  or  else  the  close  range  would  be 
broken,  and  the  cold  let  in.  In  this  way  they  lay  till 
broad  daylight — no  noise,  and  scarcely  a  whisper  be- 
ing uttered  during  the  night.  When  it  was  perfectly 
light,  Massie  would  call  up  two  of  the  men  in  whom 
he  had  the  most  confidence,  and  send  them  to  recon- 
noiter,  and  make  a  circuit  around  the  fires,  lest  an 
ambuscade  might  be  formed  by  the  Indians  to  destroy 
the  party  as  they  returned  to  the  fires.  This  was  an 
invariable  custom  in  every  variety  of  weather.  Self- 
preservation  required  this  circumspection. 

If  immortality  is  due  to  the  names  of  heroes  who 
have  successfully  labored  in  the  field  of  battle,  no  less 
honors  are  due  to  such  men  as  Massie,  who  ran  equal 
risk  of  life  from  danger  with  less  prospect  of  eclat, 
and  produced  more  lasting  benefit  to  his  country. 

In  this  manner  the  winters  of  1793-4  and  1794-6 
were  spent  in  exploring  and  surveying  the  valleys 
of  the  Scioto  and  Little  Miami  rivers  and  their  trib' 


so 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


utaries.  An  incident  that  occurred  during  the  win- 
ter of  1794-5,  will  illustrate,  in  some  degree,  the 
perils  of  the  work.  Massie  was,  at  this  time,  sur- 
veying the  lands  on  Buckskin  creek,  near  where  its 
waters  interlock  with  those  of  Paint  creek. 

Late  one  evening,  he  came  upon  the  tracks  of  In- 
dians in  the  snow.  Some  of  his  men  were  dispatched 
to  search  out  the  Indian  encampment,  while  others 
were  sent  in  pursuit  of  the  assistant  surveyors,  in 
order  to  collect  the  force  into  one  body,  that  he 
might  be  prepared  to  attack  or  defend  as  circum- 
stances might  direct.  A  short  time  before  sundown, 
his  force  was  collected.  In  a  few  minutes  after,  the 
two  men  returned  who  had  been  sent  to  discover  the 
Indian  camp.  They  reported  that  they  had  pro- 
ceeded as  near  the  Indian  encampment  as  they  could 
with  safety,  and  that  it  consisted  of  eight  or  ten  tents; 
and  that  •from  the  noise  about  the  camp,  they  had 
no  doubt  but  that  there  was  a  large  number  of  In- 
dians. Massie  thereupon  concluded  that  it  would 
be  too  hazardous  to  attack  them  while  the  snow  was 
on  the  ground,  believing  it  would  endanger  the  whole 
party  if  they  should  be  compelled  to  retreat,  incum- 
bered with  any  wounded.  He  therefore  resolved  to 
desist  from  surveying,  and  to  make  a  rapid  retreat 
to  his  own  Station,  not  doubting  that  he  would  be 
pursued,  as  the  Indians  would  have  no  difficulty  in 
tracking  them  through  the  snow.  The  line  of  march 
was  formed  for  home  by  the  party,  who  traveled  till 
10  or  11  o'clock  at  night,  when   they  halted  and 


PREPiiRATION    FOR    ATTACK. 


81 


remained  till  morning,  when  they  again  resumed  their 
marcn.  moving  in  a  southern  direction.  About  12 
o'clock,  they  came  to  a  fresh  trail,  which  was  made 
by  four  horses  and  eight  or  ten  footmen.  This  trail 
was  crossed  diagonally,  and  was  again  struck  upon 
after  traveling  a  few  miles. 

After  a  consultation  with  some  of  the  most  expe- 
rienced of  his  men,  Massie  concluded  the  Indians, 
whose  trail  had  been  crossed,  knew  nothing  of  them, 
and  determined  to  pursue  them  so  long  as  they  kept 
the  direction  in  which  they  appeared  then  to  be 
going.  The  pursuit  of  the  Indians  was  kept  up  as 
fast  as  the  men  could  walk  till  dusk,  without  over- 
taking them.  The  party  then  halted  to  consult  as 
to  their  future  operations.  In  a  few  minutes,  the 
Indians  were  heard  at  work,  with  their  tomahawks, 
cutting  wood  and  tent  poles,  within  a  few  hundred 
yards  of  the  place  where  the  party  had  halted.  It 
was  put  to  vote,  whether  the  Indian  camp  should  be 
attacked  immediately,  or  whether  they  should  post- 
pone it  to  daylight.  A  majority  were  for  lying  by 
and  attacking  them  in  daylight.  Two  or  three  men 
were  then  sent  to  reconnoiter  their  camp  and  bring 
away  their  horses.  The  horses  were  brought  away, 
and  preparations  made  to  lie  by  for  the  night.  Mas- 
sie, who  was  more  thoughtful  than  the  rest  of  the 
company,  began  to  reflect,  on  the  critical  situation 
of  the  party.  He  told  them  he  did  not  approve  of 
the  idea  of  postponing  the  attack  till  morning,  as 
there  was  no  doubt  they  were  rapidly  pursued  by 


w 


r 


82 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


the  Indians  from  the  head  of  Buckskin  creek,  and 
that  by  waiting  till  morning,  the  pursuing  Indiana 
might  come  up  in  the  course  of  the  night,  and  when 
daylight  appeared,  thpy  would  find  themselves  be- 
tween two  fires.  He  said  it  was  true  the  Indians 
might  be  destroyed  more  effectually  in  daylight,  but 
that  it  was  dangerous  to  loiter  away  their  time  on 
a  retreat,  and  advised  that  whatever  they  did  to  the 
Indians  should  be  done  quickly,  and  the  march  con- 
tinued toward  home.  It  was  resolved  to  follow  hia 
advice. 

It  was  about  two  hours  in  the  night  when  this 
occurred.  The  day  had  been  warm,  and  had  melted 
the  snow,  which  was  eight  inches  deep,  and  quite  soft 
on  the  top.  At  night  it  began  to  freeze  rapidly,  and 
by  this  time  there  was  a  hard  crust  on  the  top.  In 
this  situation,  the  crust,  when  broken  by  a  man  walk- 
ing on  a  calm  night,  could  be  heard  at  the  distance 
of  three  hundred  yards.  Massie,  under  these  cir- 
cumstances, prepared  to  attack  the  Indians  forthwith. 
The  men  were  formed  in  single  file,  with  their  wiping- 
sticks  in  their  hands,  to  steady  them  when  walking. 
They  then  commenced  moving  toward  the  Indian 
camp  in  the  following  manner :  The  foremost  would 
walk  about  twenty  steps,  and  halt;  then  the  next 
in  the  line  would  move  on,  stepping  in  the  tracks 
of  the  foremost,  to  prevent  any  noise  when  break- 
ing the  crust  of  the  snow.  In  this  cautious  and 
silent  manner,  they  crept  within  about  twenty-five 
yards  of  the  Indian  encampment,  when  an  unexpected 


THE    INDIANS    ESrAPB. 


83 


'1 

1 


interruption  presented  itself;  a  deep  ravine  was  found 
between  Massie  and  the  camp,  which  was  not  per- 
ceived by  the  reconnoitering  party.  The  Indians 
had  not  as  yet  laid  down  to  rest,  but  were  singing 
and  amusing  themselves  round  their  fires,  in  the  ut- 
most self-security,  not  dreaming  of  danger  in  their 
own  country,  in  the  depth  of  winter.  The  bank  of 
the  ravine  concealed  Massie  and  his  men,  who  were 
on  low  ground,  from  the  light  of  the  Indian  fires. 
After  halting  a  few  minutes  on  the  bank  of  the  ra- 
vine, Massie  discovered,  a  few  paces  above  him,  a 
large  log  which  had  fallen  across  the  ravine.  On 
this  log  he  determined  to  cross  the  gully.  Seven 
or  eight  of  the  men,  on  their  hands  and  knees,  had 
crossed,  and  were  within  not  more  than  twelve  or 
fifteen  paces  of  the  Indians,  crouching  low,  and  turn- 
ing to  the  right  and  left,  when  too  many  men  at  tho 
same  time  got  on  the  log;  and  as  it  was  old  and 
rotten,  it  broke  with  a  loud  crash.  This  started  the 
Indians.  The  whites,  who  had  crossed  over  before 
the  log  broke,  immediately  fired  into  the  Indian  camp, 
shouting  as  they  ran.  The  Indians  fled,  naked,  and 
without  their  arms.  No  Indian  was  killed  in  the 
camp,  though  their  clothing  and  blankets  were  found 
stained  with  blood.  No  attempt  was  made  to  pursue 
them.  Their  camp  was  plundered  of  the  horses  and 
arms,  making  altogether  considerable  booty.  The 
party  traveled  that  night  and  till  noon  the  next  day, 
when  they  halted  to  cook  some  provisions,  and  rest 
their  wearied  limbs.    After  taking  some  refreshments, 


ssa 


■lii' 

.):■ 

i : 


g  ff 


84 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


they  loitered  about  the  fires  a  short  time,  and  again 
corainencod  their  inarch  through  snow  and  brush,  and, 
about  midnight  of  the  second  day,  arrived  at  Man- 
chester, after  a  fatiguing  march  of  two  days  and 
nights  from  the  head  of  Buckskin  creek. 

This  brings  down  the  narrative  of  events,  leading 
to  the  connection  of  our  family  with  the  history  of 
this  region,  till  my  father's  first  attempt  to  explore 
it  with  a  view  to  its  settlement.  This  was  in  1795. 
When  the  day  appointed  for  the  rendezvous  at  Mas- 
sie's  Station  arrived,  there  Avere  assembled,  including 
those  from  my  father's  two  congregations  and  from 
Pennsylvania,  about  sixty  individuals,  all  burning  with 
ardent  desire  to  see,  with  their  own  eyes,  the  country 
of  whose  fertility  they  had  heard  so  much,  and  which 
seemed  to  them  the  land  of  promise.  The  party  felt 
more  secure  from  the  attacks  of  the  Indians,  because 
Gen. 'Wayne  was,  at  that  very  time,  in  treaty  with 
them  at  Greenville ;  and,  therefore,  they  pushed  boldly 
forward  into  the  interior.  They  were  divided  into 
three  companies,  one  led  by  Massie,  one  by  Finley, 
and  the  third  by  Fallenach,  an  old  pioneer  among 
the  Indians.  In  a  few  days  they  reached  Paint  creek, 
near  the  falls.     Here  they  encamped  for  the  night. 

In  the  morning  they  found  they  were  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  a  body  of  Indians,  and  proceeding  down  the 
creek,  soon  came  within  hearing  of  their  horse-bells. 
It  was  now  too  late  to  draw  back,  and  an  action  with 
tho  Indians  was  inevitable.  Some  of  the  company 
were  what  was  called  raw  hands — that  is,  unaccus- 


i-i'i 
_  ,■  I  ■ 

i  ,' 


A  N  0  T  II  E  K    B  A  T  '1  L  E . 


8& 


tomcd  to  bonier  life  and  adventure.  Full  T  cnthu- 
Bijisni,  they  had  often  expressed  a  de^'^e  "to  smell 
Indian  powder."  One  of  the  party,  who  had  fou^lit 
during  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  also  with  the  In- 
dians, retorte:^  upon  these  vaunting  fellows :  "  If  you 
get  the  smell  you  will  run,  or  I'm  very  much  mis- 
taken." Their  vaunted  courage  was  now  brought  to 
the  test. 

Leaving  Captain*  Pattee  with  a  rear  guard,  the 
three  divisions  under  Massie,  Finley,  and  Fallenach, 
made  a  simultaneous  attack  upon  the  Indian  camp. 
They  proved  to  be  a  party  of  Shawnees  and  Senecas 
who  had  refused  to  enter  into  treaty.  Charley  Wilky 
was  their  leader,  and  they  were  encamped  on  the 
bank  of  the  creek,  at  what  is  called  Reeve'^s  crossing. 
They  were  taken  completely  by  surprise.  Two  of 
them  were  killed,  and  several  wounded;  and  the  rest 
took  to  flight.  But  after  escaping  across  the  creek, 
they  rallied  in  the  woods  for  a  short  time,  and  re- 
turned the  salute  of  the  whites.  One  man,  Joshua 
Robinson,  from  Pennsylvania,  was  shot  dead.  As 
the  old  Revolutionary  veteran  had  predicted,  some  of 
the  raw  hands,  who  had  boasted  so  much,  fled  at  the 
first  "smell  of  Indian  powder,"  and  hid  behind  the 
logs  in  the  rear.  Captain  Pattee  reported  them,  while 
in  this  condition,  as  "having  the  shakes,"  from  the 
trembling  of  their  bodies. 

The  company,  having  buried  their  dead  compan- 
ions, hastily  gathered  the  horses,  the  skins,  equipage, 
and  other  plunder  of  the  Indian  camp,  and  started 


SB 


■Hi 


ze 


L  I  F  K    AMONG    T  H  K    INDIANS. 


■i 


for  the  Station  at  Three  Islands.  That  night  they 
reached  Scioto  Brush  creek,  and  there  encamped  upon 
an  advantageous  spot.  Suspecting  the  Indians  would 
be  on  the  pursuit,  their  sentinels  were  carefully  posted 
for  the  night.  Just  before  day-break  one  of  the  sen- 
tinels perceived  something  gradually  working  toward 
him  on  the  ground.  Calling  out,  he  received  no  an- 
swer, and  instantly  leveled  his  piece,  probably  wound- 
ing or  killing  the  Indian.  The  batUe  now  commenced. 
The  Indians  met  with  a  noble  resistance  from  a  part 
of  the  men,  while  the  others  again  displayed  their 
cowardice  by  hiding  from  the  bullets  of  the  enemy, 
in  a  deep  sink-hole  in  the  earth.  The  action  lasted 
about  an  hour,  when  the  Indians  retreated,  with  the 
loss  of  two  killed,  and  several  wounded.  On  the  part 
of  the  whites,  several  horses  were  killed,  and  one 
man,  a  Mr.  Gilfillan,  was  wounded  in  the  thigh.  Af- 
ter this,  the  party  made  good  their  return  to  the 
Station,  without  further  molestation.  This  ended  the 
exploration  of  the  Scioto  Valley  for  that  year;  and 
it  was  also  the  last  battle  fought  with  the  Indians 
dui  ing  the  old  Indian  war.  The  peace  concluded  by 
Gen.  Wayne,  with  the  Indians,  during  the  year,  re- 
mained inviolate,  and  gave  protection  to  the  settler, 
except  in  rare  cases,  till  1812;  and  then  the  swell- 
Jng  tide  of  civilization  had  swept  the  poor  Indian 
away  from  the  rich  valleys,  where  had  been  the  homes 
of  his  fathers  for  untold  generations.  The  narrow 
escape  of  the  exploring  party,  in  the  Scioto  Valley, 
did  not  extinguish  the  desire  to  become  possessed  of 


"^iMrff^ 


SETTLEMENT    OF    CHILLI COT  HE. 


37 


those  fertile  lands.  Accordingly,  in  the  spring  ol' 
1796,  another  party  was  organized  for  a  second  at- 
tempt. They  collected  at  Massie's  Station,  about 
the  first  of  March.  Thence  some  of  them  proceeded 
by  land,  with  their  horses.  The  others  went  By 
water,  carrying,  in  their  boats,  provisions,  farming 
utensils,  and  other  things  necessary  to  make  a  per- 
manent settlement.  The  party  numbered  about  forty. 
On  their  arrival,  they  immediately  commenced  turn- 
ing up  the  rich  soil  of  the  prairie  with  their  plows, 
and  soon  had  three  hundred  acres  planted.  There 
was  some  suffering  from  scarcity  of  provisions  dur- 
ing the  first  few  months;  but  an  abundant  crop  of 
corn,  together  with  the  game  which  abounded  in  the 
forests,  soon  yielded  a  large  supply. 

In  August  of  that  year,  Col.  Massie  selected  the 
site  for  the  town,  and  laid  out  the  lots — each  of  the 
original  settlers  receiving  one  gratis.  To  this  town 
he  gave  the  name  of  Chillicothe.  This  was  an  In- 
dian name;  but  of  what  signification,  or  to  what  ap- 
plied by  them,  is  not  well  ascertained. 

The  Scioto,  for  the  most  part,  runs  in  a  very  reg- 
ular channel,  almost  due  south.  But  about  four  or 
five  miles  above  the  mouth  of  Paint  creek,  the  river 
suddenly  makes  a  bend,  and  runs  a  short  distance 
east;  thence  south-east,  to  where  it  receives  the  wa- 
ters of  that  tributary.  These  two  rivers,  for  several 
miles  above  their  junction,  run  nearly  parallel  to 
each  other.  Between  them  there  is  a  largo  and 
beautiful  bottom,  varying  in  breadth  from  one  to 


38 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


two  miles,  and  containing  upward  of  3,000  acres. 
This  land  is  of  alluvial  formation — the  loam  being 
from  two  to  ten  feet  in  depth.  Nothing  can  exceed 
its  fertility,  not  even  the  most  highly-cultivated  soils. 
At  its  western  boundary  is  a  hill,  two  or  three  hun- 
dred feet  in  hight,  the  terminus  of  the  bottom-lands 
in  that  direction.  The  spot  selected  for  the  town  site 
was  on  an  elevated  and  dry  part  of  the  bottom,  near 
the  base  of  this  hill.  More  than  twenty  log-cabins 
were  immediately  erected,  and  before  the  ensuing 
■winter  it  had  several  stores  and  shops.  The  tide 
of  population  now  began  to  set  in  with  unexampled 
rapidity.  "  Zane's  trace,"  which  connected  Wheeling 
with  Maysville,  was  marked  out  simply  by  "  blazing 
trees"  alon^  the  route.  Though  just  completed,  it 
became  a  great  thoroughfare,  and  large  companies 
passed  along  it,  seeking  the  rich  bottom-lands  of  the 
Ohio.  These  bottoms,  when  first  settled,  were  gen- 
erally covered  by  a  heavy  growth  of  timber,  such  as 
black  walnut,  sugar-tree,  cherry,  buckeye,  hackberry, 
and  other  trees  which  denote  a  rich  soil.  A  portion 
of  them,  how^ever,  were  found  destitute  of  timber 
and  formed  beautiful  prairies,  clothed  with  blue  grass 
and  blue  sedge  grass,  which  grew  to  the  hight  of  from 
four  to  eight  feet,  and  furnished  a  bountiful  supply  of 
pasture  in  summer,  and  hay  in  winter,  for  the  live 
stock  of  the  settlers.  The  outer  edges  of  these  prai- 
ries were  beautifully  fringed  around  with  the  plum- 
tree,  the  red  and  black  haw,  the  mulberry  and  crab- 
apple.     In  the  month  of  May,  ^rhen  these  nurseries 


LANDS  —  SLAVES  —  PEACE. 


39 


of  nature's  God  were  in  full  bloom,  the  sight  was 
complotely  gratified,  while  the  fragrant  and  delicious 
perfume,  which  fillev"  the  surrounding  atmosphere, 
was  sufficient  to  fill  and  lull  the  soul  with  ecstasies 
of  pleasure.  Some  of  these  lands  have  borne  sixty 
successive  crops  of  corn,  while  the  only  dressing 
ever  bestowed  upon  them  is  that  provided  by  nature 
in  the  rich  sediment  deposited,  upon  them  in  their 
annual  overflow. 

In  the  fall  of  this  year,  I  returned  to  Kentucky, 
and  took  charge  of  the  colored  people  formerly  be- 
longing to  my  father,  but  who  had  been  freed  by 
him.  to  conduct  them  to  the  new  settlement.  After 
a  tedious  journey  of  sixteen  days  across  the  country, 
I  reached  the  banks  of  the  Scioto,  one  mile  below  the 
town.  Here  we  built  log-cabins,  and  spent  the  win- 
ter. I  fed  them  on  pounded  meal,  hominy,  and  wild 
game.  By  spring,  their  sleek,  glossy  looks  attested 
to  the  excellency  of  their  keepinor.  Then  my  father's 
family  moved  out,  and  we  commenced  again  in  this 
new  world. 

The  Indian  wars,  which  had  harassed  the  new  set- 
tlements, first  in  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  and  ilien 
in  Kentucky  and  Ohio,  for  a  period  of  forty  years, 
had  now  been  brought  to  an  end.  So  thoroughly 
humbled  were  the  Indian  tribes,  that  little  was  now  tc 
be  apprehended  from  them.  Indeed,  they  now  min 
gled  among  the  whites  in  the  most  friendly  manner, 
and,  for  years,  continued  entirely  peaceful,  except 
when  inflamed  by  ardent  spirits — that  bane  of  the 


i 


■WW* 


wmm^ 


■■■■■P!^ 


mmmm 


' 


40 


LIFE    AMONG    THi;    INDIANS. 


it 


poor  Indian — or  excited  to  revenge  by  some  wrong 
inflicted  upon  them. 

A  case  of  this  kind  occurred,  during  the  summer 
of  1798.  A  Wyandott  Indian  came,  one  evening, 
into  town,  somewhat  intoxicated,  and  behaved  with 
great  rudeness.  He  v/as  reprimanded  by  Mr.  Thomas 
Thompson,  who  was  a  very  athletic  man.  The  Indian 
drew  his  knife,  and,  concealing  the  blade  of  it  in  his 
arm  sleeve,  waited  his  opportunity  to  attack  Thomp- 
son. A  person  who  observed  him  ad/ised  him, to 
leave  for  the  camp;  for  if  Thompson  should  find  out 
that  he  had  drawn  his  knife,  he  would  kill  him.  The 
Indian  mounted  his  horse,  but  refused  to  leave  the 
place.  Some  one  informed  Thompson  of  his  danger, 
and  he  immediately  seized  a  handspike,  and,  striking 
the  Indian  on  the  head,  felled  him  to  the  earth. 
That  night  the  Indian  died  of  his  wounds,  and  was 
carried  to  the  Indian  encampment.  As  soon  as  the 
Indians  learned  the  cause  of  his  death,  they  immedi- 
ately demanded  Thompson,  that  they  might  punish 
him  according  to  their  law,  which  was  life  for  life; 
and  informed  the  town  that  if  he  was  not  given  up. 
they  T  ^uld  fall  on  the  place,  and  murder,  in  revenge, 
men,  women,  and  children — which  they  could  easily 
have  done,  as  they  were  much  more  numerous  than 
the  whites.  Some  of  the  inhabitants  were  for  com- 
plying, but  the  majority  were  opposed  to  it.  After 
some  considerable  consultation,  it  was  agreed  to  try 
another  method,  which  was  to  'buy  the  life  of  the 
murderer,  by  making  presents  to  the  relations  of  th^ 


tRAGEDY — WniSKt. 


41 


murdered  man,  and  promising  to  punish  the  murderer 
according  to  our  law.  This  plan  succeeded,  and 
Thompson  was  placed  under  guard  of  four  men, 
there  being  no  jail  there  at  the  time.  After  some 
two  months  he  was  permitted  to  make  his  escape,  and 
one  of  the  guards  went  with  him.  The  half-brother 
of  the  deceased,  determining  to  avenge  the  death  of 
liis  brother,  took  with  him  another  Indian,  and  way- 
laying Zane's  trace,  they  found  two  young  men  trav- 
eling alone,  whom  they  killed  and  robbed  of  their 
horses  and  effects;  and  thus  two  innocent  men  paid 
the  debt  of  a  murderer,  who,  under  the  influence  of 
whisky,  committed  the  crime.  Such  were  some  of 
the  evils  and  dangers  brought  on  the  community  by 
strong  drink. 

The  community  were,  at  length,  aroused  to  take 
eflBcient  measures  for  the  suppression  of  the  evils 
brought  upon  them  by  the  whisky  traders.  The 
Irliaiifi  flocked  in  from  all  parts  to  trade  their  furs 
jj       ,)rc^ure  whisky. 

It  7^!?  the  custom  of  the  traders  to  give  and  sell 
whisky  to  the  Indians,  and  the  consequence  was,  that 
many  of  thr^m  became  intoxicated;  and  as  a  drunken 
Indian  is  a  dangerous  creature,  the  peace  of  society 
was  disturbed,  and  the  womeii  and  children  were  in 
a  constant  state  of  alarm,  day  and  night.  After 
r->ture  deliberation  and  free  discussion,  it  was  en- 
acted that  all  traders  who  sold  spirits  to  the  Indians, 
or  in  any  way  furnished  them  with  intoxicating  liq- 
uors, should  be  required  to  keep  all  the  Indians,  made 

4 


■P^WMP 


mm 


42 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


i  i 


II 


i 


i\ 


drunk  by  theni,  in  their  own  storehouse  till  they  were 
sober,  on  penalty,  for  the  first  offense,  of  being  rep- 
rimanded by  two  persons  appointed  for  that  purpose, 
and  on  the  second  oifense,  their  kegs  or  barrels  of 
whisky,  or  strong  drink,  were  to  be  taken  into  the 
street  and  tomahawked  till  all  their  contents  were 
poured  01 1.  This  In^v  Avas  set  at  naught  by  one  of 
the  traders,  a  Mr.  M., '  t  was  promptly  executed, 
to  the  letter,  the  next  daj  dfter  the  sentence.  This 
vigorous  maintenance  of  the  law,  on  the  part  of  the 
citizens,  made  the  traders  more  cautious,  and  gave 
more  safety  and  comfort  to  the  inhabitants. 

The  holding  of  courts,  and  the  administration  of 
justice  in  the  new  settlement,  was  generally  after  a 
very  primitive  model.  A  single  instance  may  serve 
for  illustration. 

In  1797  three  justices  were  appointed  by  the  Gov- 
ernor of  the  territory  for  the  settlement  of  Chilli- 
cothe.  One  of  them,  Samuel  Smith,  appears  to  have 
done  most  of  the  business.  His  prompt  and  decisive 
manner  of  doing  business,  rendered  him  very  pop- 
ular. His  docket  could  be  understood  only  by  him- 
self. Scarcely  was  a  warrant  issued  by  him,  as  he 
prefei-red  always  to  send  his  constable  to  the  accused, 
to  bring  him  forward  to  have  prompt  justice  executed. 
No  law  book  was  of  any  authority  with  him.  He 
always  justified  his  own  proceedings  by  saying,  **  that 
all  laws  were  intended  for  the  purpose  of  enforcing 
justice,  and  that  he  himself  knew  what  was  right  and 
what  was  Avrong,  as  well  as  those  who  made  the  laws, 


sQuniE  sMiin. 


43 


and  thai  rlierefore  lie  stood  in  need  of  no  laws  to 
govern  his  actions."  In  civil  and  criminal  cases,  he 
was  always  prompt  in  his  decisions,  and  sometimes 
amusing  in  his  mode  of  executing  justice,  as  will  be 
seen  from  the  following  case,  which  was  brought  un- 
der his  cognizance.  A  man,  by  the  name  of  Adam 
M'Murdy,  cultivated  some  ground  in  the  station  prairie 
below  Chillicothe.  One  night  some  one  stole,  during 
his  absence,  his  horse-collar.  M'Murdy,  next  morn- 
ing, examined  the  collars  of  the  plowmen  then  at 
work,  and  discovered  his  collar  in  the  possession  of 
one  of  the  men,  and  claimed  it  of  him.  The  man 
used  toward  him  abusive  language,  and  threatened 
to  whip  M'Murdy  for  charging  him  with  the  theft. 
M'Murdy  went  immediately  to  Squire  Smith,  and 
stated  his  case.  The  Squire  listened  till  his  story  was 
told,  and  then  dispatched  his  constable,  with  strict 
orders  to  bring  the  thief  and  collar  forthwith  before 
him.  The  constable  quickly  returned,  bringing  with 
him  in  the  one  hand  the  collar,  while  with  the  other 
he  grasped  tightly  the  accused. 

The  Squire  immediately  arraigned  the  accused  in 
his  court,  which  was  held  in  the  open  air,  on  the  bank 
of  the  Scioto.  It  was  then  asked  of  the  accuser  how 
he  could  prove  the  collar  to  be  his?  M'Murdy  re- 
plied, "  If  the  collar  is  mine,  Mr.  Spear,  who  is  pres- 
ent, can  testify."  Mr.  Spear  was  then  called  to  tes- 
tify. Before  he  was  sworn,  he  came  forward  and 
said,  "that  if  it  was  M'Murdy's  collar,  he  himself  had 
written  M'Murdy's  name  on  the  inner  side  of  the  ear 


■■I 


44 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIA  XS. 


V. 


of  the  collar."  The  Squire  turned  up  the  ear  of  the 
collar,  and  found,  accordingly,  M'Murdy's  name  writ- 
ten there,  "No  better  proof  could  be  given,"  said 
the  Squire,  and  ordered  the  accused  to  be  immedi- 
ately tied  .up  to  a  buckeye,  to  receive  five  lashes,  well 
laid  on,  which  was  accordingly  done. 

Thus  ended  the  case  to  the  satisfaction  of  all,  ex- 
cept the  culprit.  The  trial  did  not  occupy  five  min- 
utes of  time.  Such  was  the  Squire's  summary  man- 
ner of  dispensing  justice.  Squire  Smith  was  an 
honest  and  impartial  man,  with  a  vigorous  and  dis- 
criminating mind,  always  disposed  to  do  justice  in  his 
own  way. 

We  have  novir  narrated  the  circumstances  under 
which  the  pioneer  enter'jd  the  North- Western  terri- 
tory,  across  the  Ohio  rive/,  and  obtained  a  firm  foot- 
hold, in  what  had  been,  heretofore,  emphatically  the 
Indian  country.  The  tide  of  population  now  began 
to  roll  in  with  unexampled  force,  and  settlements  were 
made  all  along  the  Ohio,  and  up  the  rich  valleys  of  its 
many  and  noble  tributaries.  Civilization  had, driven 
down  its  stakes  in  the  very  home  of  the  Indian,  and 
a  new  era  was  opening  up  in  this  region.  It  will  be 
interesting  for  the  reader  to  pause  at  this  point,  and 
glance  backward  at  some  of  the  incidents  of  Indian 
life  and  warfare  in  this  region.  But  we  must  reserve 
thie>  for  another  chapter. 


CAPTURE    OF    M  U  S .     DENNIS. 


45 


CHAPTER   II. 


INCIi^ENTS  OF  INDIAN  LIFE  AND  WARFABl. 

During  the  long  series  of  Indian  wars,  to  which 
I  have  referred,  old  Chillicothe  and  the  surrounding 
region  witnessed  many  thrilling  adventures,  as  well 
as  fearful  tragedies.  It  was  the  headquarters  of  the 
Shawnees,  and  the  principal  place  of  rendezvous,  fron 
fvhich  the  war  parties  went  forth  on  their  excursions 
against  the  white  settlers  among  the  cane-brakes  of 
Kentucky,  and  along  the  Ohio  border. 

As  early  as  1761,  when  the  Indians  made  a  descent 
upon  the  settlement  on  James  river,  Mrs.  Dennis, 
who  was  then  captured,  was  brought  over  the  mount- 
ains and  through  the  forests  to  this  place.  Her  hus- 
band was  murdered  soon  after  he  was  taken ;  and  she 
seeing  no  way  of  escape,  conformed  to  the  usages  of 
the  Indians,  painted  and  dressed  herself,  and  lived 
like  a  squaw.  In  addition  to  this,  she  gained  great 
fame,  by  attending  to  the  sick,  both  as  nurse  and 
physician.  She  soon  became  so  celebrated  for  the 
cures  she  effected  as  to  obtain  the  reputation  of  being 
a  necromancer;  and  the  natives  paid  to  her  the  honor 
due  to  a  person  supposed  to  have  power  with  the 
Great  Spirit. 

After  continuing  among  them  two  years,  s^ie  won* 


«■■■•■ 


46 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    I  N  D  I  A  N  .1 . 


out,  one  (lay,  under  the  pretense  of  obtaining  me- 
dicinal herbs,  as  she  had  often  done  before.  Net 
returning  at  the  usual  time,  her  object  was  suspected, 
and  the  Indians  started  in  pursuit  of  her.  To  avoid 
leaving  traces  of  her  path,  she  crossed  the  Scioto  throe 
times,  and  was  making  her  fourth  crossing,  forty  miles 
below  the  town,  where  she  was  discovered  and  fired 
upon,  without  effect.  But  in  the  speed  of  her  flight 
she  wounded  her  foot  with  a  sharp  stone,  so  as  to  be 
unable  to  proceed.  The  Indians  had  crossed  the  river, 
and  were  just  behind  her.  She  eluded  their  pursuit 
by  hiding  in  a  hollow  sycamore  log.  They  frequently 
stepped  on  the  log  that  concealed  her,  and  encamped 
near  it  for  the  night.  Next  morning  they  proceeded 
in  their  pursuit  of  her;  and  she  started  in  another 
direction  as  fast  as  her  lameness  would  permit,  but  was 
obliged  to  remain  near  that  place  three  days.  She 
then  set  off  for  the  Ohio,  over  which  she  rafted  her- 
self on  a  drift-log,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Ka- 
nawha. She  traveled  only  by  night,  concealing  her- 
self by  day,  and  subsisting  on  roots,  wild  fruits,  and 
the  river  shell  fish. 

At  length  she  reached  Green  Brier,  having  passed 
forests,  rivers,  and  mountains,  more  than  three  hun- 
dred miles.  Here  she  laid  down  exhausted,  and 
resigned  herself  to  die ;  when,  providentially,  she  was 
discovered  by  some  of  the  people  of  that  settlement, 
who  kindly  took  her,  supplied  her  wants,  and  sent 
her  forward.  For  this  act  of  mercy  the  whole  set- 
tlement suffered  a  dreadful  penalty  at  the  hands  of 


I>  A  M  E  L    B  0  0  N  E    S    CAPTIVITY. 


47 


the  savages.  Sixty  warriors  came  to  it,  pretending 
the  most  perfect  friendship,  for  it  was  a  time  of  peace. 
While  the  inhabitants  were  treating  their  guests  with 
hospitality,  and  altogether  without  the  least  suspicion, 
tiie  Indians  rose  upon  them,  killed  nearly  every  man 
in  the  settlement,  and  carried  the  women  and  children 
away  into  captivity. 

Chillicothe  was  also  the  scene  of  Daniel  Boone's 
captivity  in  1776.  In  January  of  that  year  he  went 
to  the  lower  "  Blue  Licks,"  with  about  thirty  men,  to 
make  salt  for  the  different  settlements.  On  the  7th 
of  the  next  month,  while  he  was  in  the  woods  on  a 
hunt  to  supply  the  salt-makers  with  food,  he  came 
upon  a  party  of  one  hundred  and  two  Indians,  march- 
ing to  the  assault  of  Boonsboro,  the  third  attempt 
upon  that  ill-fated  place.  Boone  fled,  but  the  sav- 
ages pursued  and  took  him  prisoner.  They  then 
advanced  upon  the  Licks,  and  made  twenty-seven  of 
the  salt-makers  prisoners  by  capitulation.  Delighted 
with  their  signal  success,  the  Indians  marched  their 
prisoners  off  in  triumph  through  the  forests,  and 
across  the  Ohio  to  Chillicothe.  After  spending  about 
a  month  here,  eleven  of  the  prisoners,  among  whom 
was  Boone,  were  carried  to  Detroit,  and  presented  to 
the  British  commandant  at  that  post.  He  offered 
them  one  hundred  pounds  as  a  ransom  for  Boone. 
They  refui^ed  it ;  and  while  his  companions  were  left, 
he  was  compelled  to  return  with  the  Indians  to  Chil- 
licothe. The  British  offered  him  some  necessary  sup- 
plies for  his  wants,  but  his  noble  spirit  refused  t( 


1 


48 


LIFE    AMONG    TIIK    INDIANS. 


accept  them  from  the  enemies  of  his  country,  when 
he  had  no  prospect  of  ever  being  able  to  pay  for 
them.  This  was  about  the  beginning  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war. 

Soon  after  his  return  to  Cliillicothe,  he  was  adopted 
into  the  family  of  one  of  the  principal  men  of  the 
tribe.  He  wisely  appeared  to  be  reconciled  to  his 
new  way  of  life,  and  accommodated  himself  to  it  with 
cheerfulness.  Such  deportment,  by  such  a  mighty 
hunter  and  untamed  spirit,  could  not  but  win  the 
confidence  and  aflfection  of  his  masters.  When  chal- 
lenged to  a  trial  of  his  skill  with  the  rifle,  he  found 
it  much  less  difficult  to  surpass  them  in  the  close- 
ness of  his  shooting,  than  to  vanquish  the  envy  and 
ill-will,  created  by  this  visible  superiority  in  a  point 
of  so  much  importance  in  the  eyes  of  that  race. 
But  he  found  it  easy  to  ingratiate  himself  wuth  the 
chief  of  the  Shawnees,  by  showing  great  deference 
to  him,  and  by  always  granting  him  a  share  of  the 
proceeds  of  his  hunts.  His  skill  and  success  in  hunt- 
ing secured  for  him  great  honor  among  the  Indians. 
This  manner  of  life,  and  wild  adventure,  was  so  in 
accordance  with  his  instinctive  propensities  and  ac- 
quired habits,  that  it  is  highly  probable  his  seem- 
ing acquiescence  in  his  lot,  would,  in  the  end,  have 
become  real,  had  it  not  been  for  the  remembrance 
of  his  wife  and  children,  at  Boonsboro.  These  cher- 
ished recollections  constantly  haunted  his  mind,  and 
prompted  the  desire  and  the  purpose  to  escape. 

In  June,  he  was  taken  to  the  Scioto  salt-works, 


BOONE'S    ESCAPK. 


49 


and  there  compelled  to  labor  so  hard  in  making  salt, 
that  no  chance  of  escape  occurred.  On  his  return 
with  his  masters  to  Chillicotht,  he  found  four  hun- 
dred and  fifty  warriors  assembled,  and  accoutered  in 
all  their  horrible  painting  and  war-garnish,  prepared 
for  an  expedition  against  Boonsboro.  With  all  his 
love  of  country  and  family,  natural  to  such  a  man, 
he  now  became  thoroughly  bent  u  )on  an  attempt  to 
escape  at  any  and  every  hazard.  In  the  morning 
he  arose,  and  went  forth,  as  usual,  to  engage  in  the 
hunt.  This  was  done  in  a  manner  not  to  excite  the 
suspicion  of  the  savages.  Ho  had  secreted  a  little 
food,  but  only  enough  for  a  single  meal.  In  less  than 
five  days  he  traversed  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  miles,  fording  or  rafting  across  the  rivers  in 
his  course.  He  found  the  fort  in  no  state  of  prep- 
aration for  the  formidable  attack  that  was  impend- 
ing. But  his  timely  warning  enabled  them  to  put 
themselves  in  so  complete  a  state  of  defense,  that 
the  savages  were  defeated,  with  the  loss  of  thirty- 
seven  of  their  warriors,  and  compelled  to  retreat. 

During  this  same  year,  to  illustrate  the  restless 
activity  of  these  pioneers,  Boone,  taking  advantage 
of  the  knowledge  acquired  during  his  captivity,  set 
out  with  a  company  of  select  men  to  surprise  the 
*' Paint  Creek  town,"  an  Indian  settlement,  not  far 
from  the  place  where  Massic,  Finley,  and  Fallenach, 
had  their  conflict  with  the  Indians  on  their  first  ex- 
pedition into  the  Scioto  country.  Having  arrived 
within  four  miles  of  the  place,  they  met  an  armed 


60 


LIFE    AMONG    TUB    INDIANS. 


part^  of  thirty  Indians.  An  exteuipore  battle  was 
fought,  resulting  in  the  flight  of  the  savages.  Not 
one  of  Boone's  party  fell ;  but  knowing  that  it  would 
be  perilous  to  continue  longer  in  that  region,  they 
inarched  back  to  Boonsboro.  with  all  possible  dis- 
patch. It  is  painful  to  think  of  the  uncertainty  of 
life  in  which  both  the  white  citizen  and  the  Indian 
lived  at  this  perio<l.  In  the  moment  of  greatest  ap- 
parent security,  the  sudden  crack  of  the  rifle  might 
be  the  harbinger  of  their  doom. 

This  state  of  life  soon  became  far.  from  being  un- 
pleasant to  the  backwoodsman  of  real  mettle;  in  fact, 
its  excitements  often  became  a  sort  of  necessity  with 
him,  and  essential  to  his  happiness.  Another  effect 
of  it  was  seen  in  the  acuteness  of  their  perceptions, 
and  the  lightning-like  rapidity  with  which  they  made 
their  observations,  and  reached  their  conclusions. 
Especially  was  this  the  case  with  the  Indians.  A 
noise  inappreciable  to  an  ordinary  ear,  a  broken  twig 
or  leaf,  or  the  faintest  impression  on  the  grass,  the 
hooting  of  an  owl,  or  the  gobbling  of  a  turkey,  was 
sufficient  to  attract  their  attention.  From  these  faint 
indications  they  were  quick  to  discern  the  presence 
of  a  wild  beast,  or  of  an  enemy. 

An  anecdote,  told  by  Frost  in  his  book  of  the  In 
dians,  is  to  the  point.  An  Indian,  upon  his  return 
home  to  his  hut,  one  day,  discovered  that  his  veni- 
son, which  had  been  hung  up  to  dry,  had  been  stolen. 
After  going  some  distance  in  pursuit  of  the  thief, 
he  met  a  party  of  travelers,  of  whom  he  inquired 


I  N  n  I  A  N     A  C  V  T  K  \  K  S  S . 


51 


whether  they  liud  seen  a  lUlh',  old,  white  man,  with 
a  short  gun,  and  accompanied  by  a  nmall  dor/,  with  a 
hob-tail.  Tlicy  replied  in  the  affirnmtivc,  and  asked 
the  Indian  how  lie  was  able  to  give  such  a  minuto 
description  of  tlio  thief.  lie  answered,  "I  know  ho 
is  a  little  man  by  his  liaving  made  a  pile  of  s-tones 
in  order  to  reach  the  venison,  from  the  hight  I  hung 
it  standing  on  the  ground.  I  know  he  is  an  old  mau 
by  his  short  steps,  which  I  have  traced  over  the 
dead  leaves  in  the  woods.  I  know  he  is  a  white  man 
by  his  turning  out  his  toes  when  he  walks,  which  an 
Indian  never  docs.  I  know  his  gun  is  -^nort  by  the 
mark  which  the  muzzle  made  upon  the  bark  of  a 
tree  against  which  it  leaned.  I  know  the  dog  is 
small  by  his  tracks,  and  that  he  has  a  bob-tail  I  dis- 
covered by  the  mark  of  it  in  the  dust,  where  he  was 
sitting  at  the  time  his  master  took  down  the  meat." 

I  will  add  still  another  instance  of  the  quick  per- 
ceptions and  the  acute  observations  of  the  red  man. 
A  most  atrocious  and  shocking  murder  was  once  com- 
mitted by  a  party  of  Indians  on  fourteen  white  set- 
tlers, within  five  miles  of  Shamokin,  in  Pennsylvania. 
The  surviving  whites,  in  their  rage,  determined  to 
take  their  revenge  by  murdering  a  Delaware  Indian, 
who  happened  to  be  in  that  vicinity,  and  anticipated 
no  danger  from  the  whites.  He  had  ever  been  their 
friend,  and  was  generally  known  among  them  by  the 
Dame  of  Duke  Holland.  The  poor  Indian  declared 
that  his  tribe  was  incapable  of  committing  such  a  foul 
crime  in  a  time  of  profound  peace,  and  told   the 


.,..4-,i.. 


52 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


m 


r  '. 


:| 


enraged  settlers  that  the  act  must  have  been  perpe- 
trated by  some  vile  Mingoes  or  Iroquois.  But  all 
his  protestations  were  in  vain ;  h3  could  not  convince 
exasperated  men,  whose  minds  were  iuUy  bent  on 
revenge. 

At" last  he  offered  to  go  with  a  party  in  quest  of  the 
murderers ;  and  said  he  was  sure  he  could  discover,  in 
their  traces,  evixlences  that  they  belonged  to  the  Six 
Nations,  and  not  to  the  Delawares.  The  proposal 
was  accepted.  The  party  followed  the  Indian  traces, 
and  soon  found  themselves  in  the  most  rocky  part  of 
the  mountains,  where  not  one  of  the  whites  could 
discover  a  single  track ;  nor  would  they  believe  that  . 
men  had  ever  passed  over  the  track,  as  they  had  to 
jump  from  rock  to  rock,  or  crawl  along  the  edge  of 
precif.'es  and  through  almost  impassable  chasms. 
They  soon  began  to  suspect  that  the  Indian  had  led 
them  across  these  rugged  mountains  in  order  to  give 
the  murderers  time  to  escape,  or  to  betray  them  into 
their  hands.  They  threatened  him  with  instant  death 
the  moment  they  shoula  be  convinced  of  the  fraud. 
The  Indian,  to  allay  their  fears,  as  they  ran  along, 
showed  them,  here,  where  the  moss  had  been  trodden 
down  by  the  weight  of  a  human  foot;  there,  that  it 
had  been  torn  and  dragged  forward  from  its  place. 
Again,  he  would  point  out  to  them,  that  pebbles,  or 
small  stones  on  the  rocks,  had  been  removed  from 
their  beds  by  the  foot  hitting  against  them ;  that  dry 
sticks,  by  being  trodden  upon,  were  broken;  and,  in 
ppe   particular  place,  that  an  Indian'^  blanket  bati 


TRACKING    OP    MURDEUErs, 


53 


been  dragged  over  the  rocks,  and  had  removed  or 
loosened  the  leaves  lying  there,  so  that  they  did  not 
lie  flat,  as  in  other  places.  All  these  marks  he  could 
perceive,  as  he  Avalked  along,  without  stopping;  while, 
with  the  closest  observation,  the  unaccustomed  eye  of 
the  white  man  would  fail  to  discover  any  significant 
trace. 

At  last  he  discovered  more  distinct  indentation  s 
of  the  feet  in  some  soft  ground.  From  these  he 
learned  that  vhe  enemy  was  eight  in  number;  and 
he  also  observed,  from  the  freshness  of  the  foot- 
prints, that  they  could  not  be  very  far  in  advance. 
All  these  predictions  were  soon  verified ;  for,  on  gain- 
ing the  summit  of  an  eminence,  they  discovered  the 
Indians  encamped  on  the  other  side  of  the  valley. 
Some  of  them  had  already  lain  down  to  sleep,  while 
others  were  drawing  off  their  leggins  for  the  same 
purpose.  The  scalps  of  the  murdered  men  were 
also  hanging  up  to  dry.  "  See,"  said  Duke  Holland, 
*'  there  is  the  enemy,  not  of  my  nation,  but  Mingoct:. 
They  are  in  our  power.  In  less  than  half  au  hour, 
they  will  be  all  fast  asleep.  We  need  iiot  fire  a 
gun,  but  go  right  up  and  tomahawk  them.  We  are 
two  to  one  nearly.  Come  on;  you  will  now  have 
your  revenge." 

Strange  to  tell !  the  whites,  who  had  been  so  ready 
to  take  revenge,  by  murdering  an  innocent  and  de- 
fenseless Indian,  now  showed  "the  white  feather." 
They  declined  making  tlve  attack,  and  besought  the' 
Indian  to  take  them  back  by  the  nearest  and  best 


64 


llfE    AMONG    tllE    INDIANS. 


way.  This  he  did ;  and  wli.en  they  reached  home, 
they  reported  that  the  number  of  the  Indians  was 
80  great,  that  they  did  not  venture  to  attack  them. 
Attacking  an  Indian  camp,  and  killing  a  poor  Indian, 
already  in  their  power,  were  things  very  different. 

But  we  must  return  to  the  life  scenes  in  the  Scioto 
region.  One  of  the  most  considerable  conflicts  had 
with  the  Indians  at  Chillicothe,  occurred  in  1779. 
The  tide  of  population  was  then  setting  strongly  into 
their  ancient  hunting-grounds  in  the  west ;  and  though 
they  had  not  intelligence  and  steadiness  of  purpose 
enough  to  effect  an  organized  and  persistent  combi- 
nation to  roll  back  the  tide,  they  did  what  they  could, 
singly  and  in  detail,  to  check  its  progress.  All  the 
savage  cruelty  in  their  nature  Avas  intensified  by  their 
thirst  for  revenge;  but  th^ir  mode  of  warfare  was 
mainly  by  detached  aggression — falling  upon  individ- 
uals and  stragglers  by  stealth,  waylaying  travelers, 
surprising  families — thus  butchering  individuals,  and 
destroying  their  dwellings.  These  terrible  events 
were  of  no  unfrequent  occurrence;  and  it  is  really 
astonishing  that  they  had  so  little  effect  in  retarding 
the  growth  of  the  population.  The  people  now  be- 
gan to  feel  the  necessity  of  some  combined  and  morf 
efficient  action,  to  check  these  savage  barbaritie*. 
Accordingly,  a  convention  of  the  settlers  was  held 
at  Harrisburg,  and  it  was  determined  to  carry  the 
war  into  the  enemy's  country.  As  the  Shawneea 
had  been  most  conspicuous  jn  their  hostilities,  it  was 
determined  to  fit  out  an  armed  expedition  against  old 


ONSET    UPON    CHILLI no THE. 


55 


Chillicothe,  which  was  their  chief  town.  Two  hun- 
dred volunteers  were  enrolled,  comprising  many  of 
ihe  most  respectable  citizens.  The  command  was 
given  to  Col.  Bowman;  and  under  him,  Logan,  Hol- 
den,  Harrod,  and  Bulger  commanded. 

They  reached  Chillicothe,  undiscovered,  in  July, 
loward  sunset.  After  deliberation,  it  was  resolved  to 
dtfer  the  attack  till  the  dawn  of  the  succeeding  morn- 
ing. The  force  Avas  divided  into  two  detachments — 
one  commanded  by  Col.  Bowman,  the  other  by  Capt. 
Logan.  One  division  took  its  position  on  the  right, 
the  other  on  i\y,  left;  and  upon  a  given  signal,  they 
-were  to  surrouri  the  town,  and  attack  it  in  concert. 
The  party  conv.i.anded  by  Logan  repaired  to  the 
assigned  point,  and  waited  in  vain  for  tlio  signal. 
The  attention  of  the  Indians  was  dra  ♦'>  this  point 
by  the  barking  of  a  dog.  At  the  sanie  moment,  a 
gun  was  accidentally  discharged  by  one  of  tlic  other 
party.  The  whole  village  of  course  was  aroused  in 
a  moment.  The  women  and  children  were  hurried 
into  the  woods  through  a  path  not  yet  occupied  by 
the  assailants ;  and  the  warriors  collected  in  a  strong 
;abin.  All  this  passed  under  tlie  eyes  of  Logan's 
party,  who  immediately  took  possession  of  some  of 
ihe  deserted  cabins.  It  was  now  broad  daylight,  and 
'requent  shots  were  exchanged  between  the  parties. 
The  expedient  of  Logan,  to  march  safely  to  the  as- 
sault of  the  cabin  was  an  ingenious  one,  and,  as 
far  as  our  reading  extends,  original.  He  proposed 
to  his  party  to  tear  off  the  Indian  cabin  doors,  aud 


66 


lAVt    AMOS^G    THE    tNDlANS. 


eaoL  to  carry  one  before  him  as  a  breast-Tork,  in 
advai  cing  iipou  the  Indian  cabin,  where  the  warriors 
were  issembled.  As  they  were  marching  upon  tlie 
foe  behind  their  movable  wall,  Col.  Bowman,  per- 
ceiving that  their  plan  for  surprising  the  Indians  was 
disconcerted,  sent  an  order  to  retreat.  Capt.  Logan's 
party  were  astonished  at  this  order,  and  reluctant  to 
obey  it.  The  retreat  must  take  place  over  an  open 
prairie,  exposed  to  the  covert  fire  of  the  Indians. 
Instead  of  a  concerted  retreat,  in  good  order,  every 
one  endeavored  to  make  the  best  of  his  way  from 
the  danger,  in  the  mode  indicated  by  his  own  judg- 
ment. Each  one  started  away  from  behind  his  con- 
cealment, ana  made  for  the  wood  at  his  utmost  speed. 
Some  of  their  number  fell  by  the  bullets  which  the 
savages  showered  upon,  them  us  they  fled  over  the 
prairie.  The  stragglers  assembled  in  the  woods,  and 
assumed  something  like  order.  The  Indians  sallied 
out  upon  their  invaders,  commanded  by  their  chief, 
Black  Fish.  They  were  much  inferior  in  numbers, 
not  exceeding  thirty;  yet  Col.  Bowman's  fo.rce,  once 
intimidated,  continued  to  fly  before  them  under  the 
impulse  of  terror,  and  were  sorely  pressed.  His 
force  was  brought  to  a  halt  in  a  low  and  sheltered 
ground.  His  fire  upon  the  surrounding  enemy,  who 
were  protected  behind  bushes  produced  litHe  effect. 
Captains  Logan  and  Harrod  mounted  some  pack- 
horses  and  made  a  charge  Upon  the  Indians.  This 
kssault  somewhat  staggered  them.  Black  Fish  was 
kiHed,  and  the  Indians,  in  their  turn,  took  to  flight. 


ciittttco'rtiK  —  Gtni'V. 


67 


The  men  pursued  an  unmolested  march  homeward. 
In  this  ill-managed  expedition,  nine  rnen  were  killed, 
and  one  wounded.  The  Indian  loss  was  compara- 
tively small ;  though  the  number  of  the  killed  among 
them  was  never  fully  ascertained. 

But  we  must  hasten  over  these  events.  Though 
now  removed  from  us  by  the  space  of  three-quarters 
of  a  century,  they  were  fresh,  when,  with  others,  the 
writer  assisted  to  carry  the  tide  of  civilization  into 
that  region.  In  1780  the  Kentucky  rangers,  under 
Col.  Clark,  destroyed  not  only  the  cornfields  of  the 
Indians  at  Chillicothe,  but  also  every  thing  that  re- 
lated to  subsistence,  on  which  they  could  lay  their 
hands.  Thus,  for  a  time,  the  savages  were  compelled 
to  relinquish  their  barbarous  and  treacherous  assaults 
upon  the  settlers,  and  devote  themselves  to  the  hunt, 
in  order  to  obtain  subsistence  for  their  people.  But 
it  was  the  grand  rendezvous  of  the  Shawnees,  Wyan- 
dotts,  Fawas,  Pottawataraies,  and  various  other  tribes, 
preparatory  to  their  incursion  into  Kentucky,  in  the 
summer  of  1782,  of  which  a  more  particular  account 
will  be  given,  when  we  come  to  narrate  the  history 
of  that  monster,  Simon  Girty,  who  was  one  of  the 
leading  spirits  in  this  savage  council.  That  very  fall, 
the  whites  took  vengeance  in  the  destruction  of  all 
the  cabins  at  Chillicothe,  though  the  Indians,  them- 
selves, escaped. 

In  1791  old  Chillicothe  was  the  scene  of  a  despe- 
rate battle  between  General  Harmar  and  the  Indians. 
lie  had  entered  the  Indian  country  from  Fort  Wash- 


58 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


li 


ington,  now  Cincinnati,  at  the  head  of  one  thousand, 
four  hundred  and  fifty-three  men.  Colonel  Hardin, 
with  six  hundred  Kentucky  militia,  formed  a  recon- 
noitering  party,  in  advance.  The  Indians  every-where 
fled  as  he  approached,  setting  fire  to  their  villages, 
and  destroying  their  goods  with  their  own  hands 
To  overtake  them,  he  placed  himself  at  the  head 
of  a  scout  of  two  hundred  and  ten  men,  and  pushed 
ahead  with  great  rapidity.  This  scout  was  attacked 
by  an  inconsiderable  party  of  Indians,  when  the  raw 
militia  broke  and  fled,  leaving  the  brave  men  who 
would  not  fly,  to  their  fate.  TAventy-three  of  the 
party  fell,  and  only  a  small  portion  succeeded  in  re- 
joining the  army.  Yet  General  Harmar  pushed  on, 
and  succeeded  in  reducing  most  of  the  Indian  towns 
to.  ashes,  and  destroying  their  provisions.  When 
within  eight  miles  of  Chillicothe,  on  the  Little  Miami, 
he  halted,  and,  late  at  night,  sent  forward  Colonel 
Hardin  to  attack  the  enemy.  The  action  commenced 
early  in  the  morning.  The  savages  fought  with  des- 
peration. Some  of  the  American  troops  again  acted 
the  coward,  but  the  officers  bore  themselves  gallantly, 
and,  utterly  regardless  of  personal  safety,  rushed  for- 
ward into  the  thickest  of  the  fight.  It  was  a  severe 
and  disastrous  conflict.  More  than  fifty  regulars 
and  one  hundred  militia,  and  a  large  portion  of  the 
officers,  including  the  brj^ve  Fontayne,  Willys,  and 
Frothingham,  were  slain  upon  the  battle-ground.  The 
number  of  th«  enemy  slain  was  not  known.  But 
it  must  have  been  great,  as  General   Ilarmar  waa 


INDIAN    BAtlBAKlTlES. 


5d 


permitted  to  retire  without  molestation.  Ilarmar,  in 
his  official  report,  claimed  the  victory;  but  it  was 
doubtful  which  party  lost  most  by  the  conflict. 

Major  General  Arthur  St.  Clair  succeeded  Ilnrmar 
in  command  of  the  forces  at  the  north-west.      There 
was  now  a  loud  and  earnest  appeal  from  the  exposed 
settlers,  for  protection;    and  this  could  be  obtained 
only  by  the  destruction  of  their  savage  foes.     If  this 
assertion  seems  too  strong,  let  me   give   a  fact   in 
evidence.      In   1790  a  treaty  was  proposed  to  the 
savages  at  Miami.     They  asked  thirty  days  for  de- 
liberation.    It  was  granted;    and  before  the  thirty 
days  had  passed,  more  than  one  hundred  and  twenty 
persons  had  been  killed  and  captured,  and  several 
prisoners  roasted  alive.     At  the  close  of  the  specified 
time,  the  Indians  utterly  refused  to  make  any  answer 
to  the  proposition  for  a  treaty.     Nor  is  this  all ;  their 
prisoners  were  often  roasted  alive,  aiid  the  most  re- 
volting barbarities  w  ere  practiced  upon  them ;  then, 
too,  m«any  who  surrendered  under  promise  of  having 
their    lives    spared,   were   immediately   butchered   in 
cold  blood.     Can  we  wonder  that  those  whom   war 
had  exposed  to  these  barbarities,  and  whose  friends 
had  been  victims  of  them,  called  aloud  for  vengeance? 
The  whole  land  was  in  mourning.     More  than  two 
thousand  of  the  settlers  had,  in  some  form,  been  mur- 
dered or  killed  in  battle  by  the  savages.     Along  with 
the  wail  of  sorrow,  and  the  appeal  for  protection, 
the  deep,  muttered  cry  for  vengeance  was  heard. 

The  destruction  of  the  Indian  towns,  indtho  cstab- 


;  I 


wnvHi 


60 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


.  I  "i 


it 


lishment  of  a  chain  of  military  posts,  was  the  only 
thing  that  could  give  protection  to  the  settlements. 
With  these  objects  in  view,  General  St.  Clair,  in  1702, 
entered  the  Indian  territory,  at  the  head  of  over  two 
thousand  men.  On  the  second  of  November,  he  en- 
camped within  fifteen  miles  of  the  Miami  villages. 
Soon  after  daylight,  the  savages  commenced  an  at- 
tack upon  the  militia,  which  was  thrown  into  confu- 
sion, and  fled  in  disorder.  They  burst  through  the 
line  of  the  regulars  into  the  camp.  The  officers 
made  great  efforts  to  restore  order,  but  with  only 
partial  success.  The  Indians  pressed  upon  the  heels 
of  the  flying  militia,  and  engaged  General  Butler 
with  great  intrepidity.  The  action  now  became  warm 
and  general;  and  the  fire  of  the  assailants  passing 
round  both  flanks  of  the  first  line,  in  a  few  minutes 
was  poured  with  equal  fury  upon  the  rear.  The 
sirtillerists,  in  the  center,  were  mowed  down ;  and  the 
fire  was  the  more  galling,  as  it  was  directed  by  an 
invisible  enemy,  crouching  on  the  ground,  or  con- 
cealed behind  trees.  In  this  manner  they  advanced 
toward  the  very  mouth  of  the  cannon;  and  fought 
with  the  infuriated  fierceness  with  which  success 
always  animates  savages.  Some  of  the  soldiers  ex- 
hibited military  fearlessness,  and  fought  with  great 
bravery.  Others  were  timid,  and  disposed  to  fly. 
With  a  self-devotion  which  the  occasion  reauired, 
the  officers  generally  exposed  themselves  to  the  hot- 
test of  the  conte§t,  and  fell  in  great  numbers,  in 
desperate  efforts  to  restore  the  battle.     The  com- 


A    DESPERATE    CONFLICT. 


61 


nianding  general,  though  he  had,  some  time,  been  en- 
feebled by  severe  disease,  acted  with  personal  bravery, 
and  delivered  his  orders  with  judgment  and  self-pos- 
session. A  charge  was  made  upon  the  savages  with 
the  bayonet;  and  they  were  driven  from  their  covert 
"with  some  loss,  a  distance  of  four  hundred  yards. 
But  as  soon  as  the  charge  was  suspended,  and  the 
soldiers  had  withdrawn,  the  savages,  with  fresh  vigor, 
returned  to  the  attack.  General  Butler  was  mortally 
wounded,  the  left  wing  was  broken,  and  the  artillerists 
were  killed,  almost  to  a  man.  The  guns  were  secured, 
and  the  camp  penetrated  by  the  enemy.  A  despe- 
rate charge  was  headed  by  Colonel  Butler,  although 
he  was  severely  wounded;  and  the  Indians  Avere 
again  driven  from  the  camp,  and  the  artillery  recov- 
ered. Several  charges  were  repeated,  with  partial 
success.  The  enemy  only  retreated  to  return  to  the 
charge,  flushed  with  new  ardor.  The  ranks  of  the 
troops  were  broken,  and  the  men  pressed  together  in 
crowds,  and  were  shot  down  without  resistance.  A 
retreat  was  all  that  remained  to  save  the  remnant 
of  the  army.  Colonel  Drake  was  ordered  to  charge 
a  body  of  the  savages  that  intercepted  their  retreat. 
Major  Clark,  with  his  battalion,  was  ordered  to  cover 
the  rear.  These  orders  were  carried  into  eflfect,  and 
a  most  disorderly  flight  commenced.  A  pursuit  was 
kept  up  foiir  miles,  when,  fortunately,  the  natural 
greediness  of  the  savage  appetite  for  plunder,  called 
back  the  Indians  to  the  camp,  to  share  in  the  spoils. 
Throwing  away  their  arms  to  expedite  their  flight. 


■i 


C2 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


>i 


m 


the  disorderly  troops  continued  their  retwat  till  they 
reached  Fort  Washington. 

This  was  a  most  disastrous  battle.  Six  hundred 
and  thirty-one  were  left  dead  upon  the  field,  of  whom 
thirty-eight  were  officers,  and  two  hundred  and  sixty- 
three  were  wounded.  The  savages  were  led  on,  in 
this  engagement,  by  a  Mississayo  chief,  who  had  ac- 
quired experience  in  the  arts  of  war  under  the  Brit- 
ish, during  the  Revolution.  So  very  superior  was  his 
knowledge  of  tactics,  that  the  Indian  chiefs,  though 
extremely  jealous  of  him,  yielded  the  entire  com- 
mand to  him ;  and  he  arranged  and  fought  the  battle 
with  great  combination  of  military  skill.  Their  force 
amounted  to  four  thousand.  They  reported  their 
killed  were  sixty-five,  but  it  must  have  been  more. 
They  took  a  vast  amount  of  plunder,  including  seven 
pieces  of  cannon,  a  large  number  of  horses,  and  over 
two  hundred  oxen.  The  chief  restrained  the  pursuit, 
saying  they  had  killed  enough. 

Though  the  news  of  this  battle  spread  gloom  over 
the  country,  it  stimulated  rather  than  retarded  ac- 
tion, and  multitudes  were  eager  for  revenge.  Gen- 
eral Scott,  at  the  head  of  one  thousand  mounted 
Kentucky  volunteers,  marched  against  a  party  of  the 
victors.  He  came  up  to  them  on  the  fated  field. 
They  were  still  rioting  in  their  plunders,  riding  upon 
the  backs  of  the  captured  oxen,  and  acting,  as  if 
the  whole  body  were  drunken.  He  instantly  attacked 
them.  Their  defeat  was  complete.  More  than  two 
hundred  of  their  number  were  left  dead  upon  the 


<3  E  N  K  l\  A  T.    W  A  Y  N  K . 


6H 


field;  tlic  cannon,  nnd  most  of  tlic  Htorcs  wove  re- 
taken, and  tlic  party  rcturntd  in  triuin[)h. 

The  final  great  battle,  before  the  termination  of  tlio 
oarly  Indian  uar,  was  fougl  t  under  the  direction  of 
General  Anthony  Wayne,  w'.io  had  been  appointed  to 
the  command,  upon  the  resignation  of  General  St. 
Clair.  He  commanded  the  confidence  of  the  western 
people  in  a  high  degree,  and  was  generally  called,  on 
account  of  his  reckless  bravery,  "Mad  Anthony." 
But  his  appointment  to  the  command  of  the  western 
army  was  no  "mad"  act.  Negotiations  were  at  first 
earnestly  attempted  with  the  Indian  tribes,  but  with- 
out any  effect.  Two  excellent  oflficers.  Colonel  Har- 
din and  Major  Truman,  who  had  been  sent  to  convey 
overtures  to  the  Indians,  were  cruelly  murdered  by 
them.  The  horrors  of  war  were  again  to  be  realized. 
The  first  step  of  General  Wayne  was  to  enter  the 
Indian  country,  and  to  erect  a  fortification  upon  the 
old  site  of  St.  Clair's  defeat.  This  he  called  "  Fort 
Recovery."  His  principal  camp  was  called  Green- 
ville. He  had  under  his  command  about  two  thou- 
sand soldiers;  and  soon  after  he  commenced  his  op- 
erations he  was  joined  by  General  Scott,  vith  eleven 
hundred  mounted  militia,  from  Kentucky. 

Though  the  Revolutionary  Avar  had  closed,  and  the 
two  countries  were  at  peace,  yet  the  British  Govui'n- 
ment  still  retained  many  of  their  forts,  which  were 
vr»thii>  the  territory  of  the  United  States.  At  this 
juncture,  while  Wayne  was  progressing  northward 
♦vPrough  the  western  part  of  Ohio,  a  detachment  of 


i^M 


64 


L  I  F  K    A  M  0  X  (}     T  II  K    I  N  U  I  A  N  S . 


British  soldiers  from  Detroit,  occupied  a  fortified 
position  on  the  Miami  of  the  Lakes.  They  evidently 
designed  to  give  encouragement  and  protection  to  the 
Indians,  if  not  to  aid  them  directly.  But  Wayne  was 
too  determined  in  purpose,  and  too  strong  in  his  force 
to  be  turned  aside.  On  the  8th  of  August  he  reached 
the  confluence  of  the  Auglaize  and  the  Miami  of  the 
Lakes.  Here  were  the  most  extensive  and  richest 
settlements  of  the  western  Indians — and  it  was  only 
about  thirty  miles  from  the  fort  established  by  the 
British.  The  whole  strength  of  the  Indians  was 
about  two  thousand,  and  they  were  encamped  in  the 
vicinity  of  that  post. 

Still  another  attempt  was  made  to  prevent  the  effu- 
sion of  blood.  Suitable  messengers  were  dispatched 
to  have  an  interview  with  the  savages.  They  were 
exhorted  to  forsake  the  evil  counsels  that  were  plung- 
ing them  into  ruin,  and  to  accept  the  offers  of  peace, 
and  be  restored  to  their  homes,  and  delivered  from 
the  horrors  of  famine,  which  was  consuming  them 
and  their  families.  The  reply  was  evasive,  and  suf- 
ficiently indicated  that  the  Indians  were  not  yet  pre- 
pared to  enter  into  a  treaty.  General  Wayne  now 
settled  it  in  his  mind  that  a  battle  must  be  fought. 

On-  the  20th  of  August  his  army  marched  forward 
in  columns.  Major  Price  was  in  advance,  at  the  head 
of  a  reconnoitering  scout.  After  advancing  five  miles, 
suddenly  a  heavy  fire,  from  concealed  savages,  was 
poured  upon  him.  He  immediately  retired  beyond 
the  reach  of  their  guns,  and  Wayne  prepared  foi 


„(■>, 


A    SUCCESSFUL    BATTLE. 


(35 


a  general  action.  The  Indians  had  chosen  their  p6- 
flition  witli  great  judgment.  They  had  moved  into 
a  thick  wood,  in  advance  of  the  British  post,  and  had 
taken  position  among  some  fallen  timber,  which  had 
been  blown  down  by  a  tornado.  Here  they  weio 
formed  in  three  lines,  according  to  Indian  custom,  and 
were  inaccessible  to  the  horse.  The  American  legion 
was  ordered  to  advance  in  front,  with  trailed  arms, 
and  first  rouse  the  enemy  from  his  covert,  and  then 
pour  upon  him  their  fire.  The  cavalry,  commanded 
by  Captain  Campbell,  "vas  to  advance  between  the 
Indians  and  the  river,  where  the  wood  permitted  them 
^0  penetrate  and  charge  their  left  flank.  General 
Soott,  at  the  head  of  his  mounted  volunterrs,  was 
commanded  to  make  a  circuit,  so  as  to  turn  their 
right.  This  programme  of  the  action  was  promptly 
carried  out  by  the  gallant  oflicers  in  command,  and 
with  brilliant  success.  But  such  was  the  impetuosity 
of  the  charge  made  by  the  first  linp  of  th^  infantry, 
that  the  enemy  were  completely  broken  and  dislodged 
from  their  position.  The  brave  men  who  had  dis- 
lodged them  did  their  work  so  suddenly,  and  then 
followed  up  the  pursuit  with  such  rapidity,  that  very 
few  of  the  second  line,  or  of  the  mounted  volunteers, 
had  an  opportunity  to  take  any  part  in  the  action. 
The  savages  were  pursued  to  the  very  gates  of  the 
British  fort. 

It  appears  that  the  British  commandant  had  prom- 
ised the  Indians,  that,  if  defeated,  he  would  open  to 

them  the  gates  of  the  fort,  and  give  them  protection. 

5 


66 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


r\ 


Accordingly,  when  routed,  they  huddled,  lilcc  fright 
ened  sheep,  before  the  gates,  and  here,  pressed  in  the 
rear  by  the  infantry,  and  on  either  side  by  the  horse, 
they  were  cut  down  in  great  numbers,  almost  with- 
out resistance.  The  slaughter  of  the  Indians  was 
immense.  This  battle  was  fought  on  the  20th  of 
August,  1794.  The  American  loss,  in  killed  and 
wounded,  was  one  hundred  and  seven ;  but  among 
hese  were  some  of  the  bravest  officers  upon  the  field, 
such  as  Captain  Campbell  and  Lieutenant  Towles 
The  rout  of  the  Indians  was  complete.  Their  force 
was  broken  and  scattered. 

General  Wayne  remained  three  day  a  on  the  field 
of  battle,  reducing  the  houses  and  corn-fields,  above 
and  below  the  fort,  and  some  of  thom  within  pistol- 
shot  of  it,  to  ashes.  The  houses  and  stores  of  Col. 
M'Kee,  an  English  trader,  whose  great  influence 
am^^ng  the  savages  had  been  uniformly  exerted  for 
the  continuance  of  the  war,  were  burned  among  the 
rest.  Correspondence,  on  these  two  points,  took  place 
between  General  Waynes  and  the  commander  of  the 
fort.  The  latter,  however,  soon  came  to  understand 
that  he  could  avoid  hostilities  with  Wiyne  only  by 
being  careful  not  to  interfere  with  his  operations. 
Having  completed  the  work  of  destruction  here.  Gen- 
eral Wayne  returned  to  Auglaize,  and  destroyed  all 
the  Indian  towns  and  corn  within  fifty  miles  of  the 
river.  The  savages  were  thus  made  to  understand 
that  peace  or  entire  destruction  were  the  only  altern- 
atives.    Yet  they  continued   to   commit  struggling 


PEACE. 


67 


depredations  till  the  next  summer.  QMien,  on  the^ 
3d  of  August,  as  we  have  already  noticed,  a  definite 
treaty  of  peace  Avas  established.  Thus  terminated 
the  long-protracted  struggle  between  civilization  and 
barbarism.  The  number  of  individuals  wantonly  mur- 
dered by  the  savages,  independently  of  those  slain 
in  battle,  can  be  numbered  only  by  thousands.  Yet, 
strange  as  it  may  appear,  the  tide  of  immigration  was 
scarcely  checked  by  these  outrages;  and  the  civilized 
population  of  the  great  valley  Avas  constantly  on  the 
increase. 


68 


LIFE    AMONG    TUB    INDIANS. 


Mi 

pi 


CHAPTER   III. 

INDIAN    CRUELTIES. 

During  the  progress  of  these  wars,  scenes  of  thrill- 
ing interest,  and  of  appalling,  savage  barbarity,  were 
enacted.  The  record  of  some  will  be  known  only 
at  the  great  day.  Others  are  scattered  along  the 
iiistory  of  those  times,  as  so  many  monumental  piles, 
to  tell  us  what  our  fathers  suffered,  that  we  might 
come  into  possession  of  this  goodly  land. 

But  it  must  be  confessed  that  these  acts  of  savage 
cruelty  were  not  all  on  the  side  of  the  Indians.  In- 
deed, had  the  acts  of  the  pioneers  toAvard  the  Indians 
always  been  characterized  by  kind  treatment  and  fair 
dealing,  it  is  doubtful  whether  the  savnge  cruelties 
inflicted  on  them  would  ever  have  occurred. 

To  show  that  these  statements  are  not  unfounded 
in  fact,  we  will  begin  these  narrations  with  one  of 
the  most  cruel  and  tragic  outrages  ever  perpetrated 
by  mortal  man,  whether  savage  or  professedly  civil- 
ized. This  was  the  butchery  of  the  Moravian  Indians, 
by  a  party  of  whites,  in  1782.  The  Moravian  mis- 
sionaries, whose  zeal  is  un quenched  by  the  snows  of 
Lapland,  and  ^  hose  energy  braves  \\ie  burning  sands 
of  Arabia  and  Africa,  had  penetrated  these  western 
wilds  before  the  white  man  had  made  his  settlement, 


CRUELTY  TOWARD  INDIANS. 


69 


und  had  succeeded  in  establishing  missions  ou  the 
Tuscarawas,  among  the  Delaware  Indians.  They  bad 
three  stations  on  the  river;  namely,  Gnadenhutten, 
Shoenbrun,  and  Salem.  These  villages  were  occupied 
by  the  Indians,  all  of  whom  had  become  Christian- 
ized, and  were  peacefully  engaged  in  the  various 
pursuits  of  civilization.  Several  depredations  having 
been  committed  by  hostile  Indians,  about  the  time 
of  which  I  am  writing,  on  the  frontier  inhabitants 
of  western  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  they  determ- 
ined to  retaliate,  and  a  company  of  one  hundred  men 
was  raised,  and  placed  under  the  command  of  Colonel 
Williamson,  as  a  corps  of  volunteer  militia.  They 
set  out  for  the  Moravian  towns  on  the  Tuscarawas 
river,  and  arrived  within  a  mile  of  Gnadenhutten  on 
the  night  of  the  fifth  of  March,. 

On  the  morning  of  the  sixth,  finding  the  Indians 
at  work  in  their  cornfield,  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
river,  sixteen  of  Williamson's  men  crossed  over,  two 
at  a  time,  in  a  large  sugar  trough,  taking  their  rifles 
with  them.  The  remainder  went  into  the  village, 
where  they  found  an  Indian  and  squaw,  both  of 
whom  they  killed.  The  sixteen  on  the  west  side, 
on  approaching  the  Indians,  found  them  more  nu- 
merous than  they  had  anticipated.  The  Indians  had 
their  arms  with  them,  which  they  carried  not  only  for 
purposes  of  protection,  but  for  killing  game.  The 
whites  accosted  them  kindly,  telling  them  'that  they 
had  come  for  the  purpose  of  taking  them  to  a  place 
where  in  future  they  would  be  protected  in  safety, 


wmmm 


n 


70 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


no  longer  to  be  startled  by  the  rude  alarm  of  angry 
foes.  They  advised  them  to  quit  work,  and  g6  with 
them  to  Fort  Pitt.  Some  of  the  tribe  had  b^cn 
taken  to  that  place  in  the  preceding  year,  and  were 
treated  with  great  kindness  by  their  white  neighbors, 
and  especially  the  governor  of  the  fort,  and  returned 
to  their  homes  with  tokens  of  friendship  and  kind- 
ness. Under  such  circumstances,  it  was  not  surpris- 
ing that  the  innocent  and  unsuspecting  Moravisin  In- 
dians surrendered  their  arms,  and  at  once  consented 
to  place  themselves  under  the  protection  and  control 
of  Williamson  and  his  men.  An  Indian  messenger 
was  dispatched  to  Balem,  for  the  purpose  of  appris- 
ing their  brethren  of  the  urrangement,  and  then  both 
companies  returned  to  Gnadenhutten.  On  reaching 
the  village,  a  number  of  mounted  militia  started  for 
the  Salem  settlement,  but  ere  they  reached  it,  so 
great  was  the  dispatch  of  the  messenger,  that  they 
found  the  Moravian  Indians  at  that  place  had  already 
left  their  cornfields,  and  were  on  the  road  to  join 
their  brethren  at  Gnadenhutten.  Measures  had  been 
previously  adopted  to  secure  the  Indians  whom  they 
had  at  first  decoyed  into  their  power,  and  accordingly 
they  were  bound,  and  confined  in  two  houses,  securely 
guarded.  On  the  arrival  of  the  Indians  from  Salem — 
their  arms  having  been  secured  witho'.t  any  sus- 
picion of  their  hostile  intentions — they  wei  e  at  once 
seized,  fettered,  and  divided  between  the  two  prison- 
houses,  the  males  in  one,  and  -the  females  in  the 
other.     The  number  thus  confined  in  both  houses, 


HEART-RENDING    TRAGEDY. 


71 


incUiMing  men,  women,  and  children,  amounted  to  from 
ninety  to  one  hundred. 

A  council  w»?  then  held  to  determine  how  tne 
Moravian  Indians  should  be  disposed  of.  This  self- 
constituted  military  court  consisted  of  both  officers 
and  privates.  Williams  )n  put  the  question  whether 
the  Indians  should  be  taken,  prisoners,  to  Fort  Pitt, 
or  put  to  death,  requesting  those  who  were  ii;  favor 
of  saving  their  lives  to  march  out  of  rank,  and  form 
a  second  rank  in  advance.  Only  eighteen,  out  of  the 
whole  number,  stepped  out  as  the  advocates  of  mercy. 
In  these  the  feelings  of  humanity  prevailed;  but  in 
the  others,  constituting  the  large  majority,  humanity 
and  justice  were  utterly  extinct.  They  had  delib- 
erately come  to  the  conclusion  to  murder  the  whole 
of  the  Christian  Indians  in  their  power.  Among  the 
doomed  were  several  who  had  contributed  to  aid  the 
missionaries  in  the  work  of  conversion  and  civiliza- 
tion; two  of  whom  emigrated  from  New  Jersey  after 
the  death  of  their  pastor.  Rev.  David  Brainard.  One 
Indian  female,  who  could  speak  good  English,  fell 
upon  her  knees  before  Williamson,  the  commander, 
and  begged  most  eloquently  and  piteously  for  his 
protection;  but  all  her  supplications  and  pleadings 
were  urheeded  by  the  heartless  and  dastardly  wretch, 
whj  orderedher  to  prepare  for  death. 

J  3y  had  anticipated  the  cruel  fate  that  awaited 
them  •  and  their  hymns  of  praise  and  fervent  prayers 
ascenaed  fi'om  their  prison,  during  the  whole  of  that 
eventful  night,  to  their  great  Father  in  heaven.    Their 


72- 


LIFE    AMOKG    THE    INDIANS. 


.^li  'I. 


i 


4 


prayers  and  tears,  and  their  pleadings  for  mercy  and 
protection  were  lost  upon  their  white  murderers,  but 
they  entered  the  ears  of  an  avenging  God.  When 
the  morning  sun  arose,  the  work  of  death  commenced, 
and  a  scene  of  human  butchery  occurred,  of  sufficient 
enormity  to  move  the  heart  most  used  to  blood  and 
carnage,  and  gather  paleness  on  the  cheek  of  dark- 
ness itself.  One  after  another,  men,  women,  and 
children  were  led  out  to  a  block  prepared  for  the 
dreadful  purpose,  and,  being  commanded  to  sit  down, 
the  ax  of  the  butcher,  in  the  hands  of  infuriate  de- 
mons, clave  their  skulls.  Two  persons,  who  were 
present  at  that  time,  and  who  related  to  me  the  fear- 
ful story,  assured  me  that  they  were  unable  to  wit- 
ness, but  for  a  short  time,  the  horrid  scene.  One 
of  these  men  stated  that  when  he  saw  the  incarnate 
fiends  lead  a  pretty  little  girl,  about  twelve  years 
of  age,  to  the  fatal  block,  and  heard  her  plead  for 
her  life,  in  the  most  piteous  accents,  till  her  innocent 
voice  was  hushed  in  death,  he  felt  a  faintness  come 
over  him,  and  could  no  longer  stand  the  heart-sick- 
ening scene.  The  dreadful  work  of  human  slaughter 
continued  till  every  prayer,  and  moan,  and  sigh,  was 
hushed  in  the  stillness  of  death.  No  sex,  age,  or 
condition  was  spared,  from  the  gray-haired  sire  to 
the  infant  at  its  mother's  breast.  All  fell  victims  to 
the  most  cold-blooded  murder  ever  perpetrated  by 
man.  There  lay,  in  undistinguished  confusion,  gashed 
and  gory,  in  that  cellar,  where  they  were  thrown  by 
their  butchers,  nearly  one  hundred  murdered  Chris- 


Crawford's  defeat. 


n 


tian  Indians,  hurried  to  an  rntimely  grave  by  those 
who  liad  but  two  days  before  sworn  to  protect  them. 
It  was  an  act  shocking  to  humanity;  and  its  perpe- 
trators should  be  consigned  to  eternal  infamy.  * 

No  wonder  that  the  savages  were  excited  to  the 
highest  pitch  of  fury.  Nor  was  the  opportunity  of 
revenge — a  revenge  that  might  have  glutted  the  Ikeart 
of  an  incarnate  fiend — long  wanting. 

The  event  narrated  above  took  place  on  the  8th 
of  March,  1782.  On  the  22d  of  the  succeeding  May, 
tlie  ill-fated  Colonel  Crawford  headed  another  expe- 
dition from  western  Pennsylvania.  The  army  con- 
sisted of  four  hundred  and  fifty  men,  and  commencing 
its  march  on  the  day  above-named,  it  proceeded  due 
west,  visiting,  in  its  way,  the  Moravian  towns,  which 
had  just  been  the  scene  of  such  a  horrible  tragedy. 
On  the  6th  of  June,  when  near  the  Upper  Sandusky, 
they  were  attacked  by  the  Indians,  and  defeated.  -At 
least  one  hundred  were  killed  and  taken  prisoners; 
and  of  the  latter,  it  is  said,  two  only  escaped.  When 
the  rout  commenced,  instead  of  retreating  in  a  body, 
they  fled  in  small  parties,  and  thus  fell  an  easy  prey 
into  the  hands  of  their  pursuers.  Colt)nel  Crawford 
became  separated  from  the  main  body  of  his  soldiers, 
by  his  extreme  anxiety  for  his  son,  and  two  or  three 
other  relations,  whom  he  suspected  were  in  the  rear, 
and,  therefore,  waited  for  them  an  unreasonable  time. 
He,  at  length,  fled,  in  company  with  a  Dr.  Knight 


*  Autobiography. 

7 


II 


74 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


and  two  others.  Unfortunately,  after  traveling  ncarlv 
two  days,  they  were,  with  several  others,  surprised 
by  a  party  of  Delawares,  and  conducted  to  the  Old 
Wyandott  town.  The  Indians  halted  within  two  miles 
of  the  town.  Here  Captain  Pipe,  a  celebrated  Del- 
aware chief,  painted  both  Crawford  and  Knight  black. 
AsHhey  were  conducted  toward  the  town,  the  cap- 
tives observed  the  bodies  of  four  of  their  friends, 
tomahawked  and  scalped.  This  was  regarded  as  a 
sad  presage.  In  a  short  time  they  overtook  the  five 
prisoners  who  remained  alive.  They  were  seated  on 
the  ground,  and  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  Indian 
squaws  and  boys,  who  taunted  and  menaced  them. 
Crawford  and  Knight  were  compelled  to  sit  down 
apart  from  the  rest,  and  immediately  afterward  the 
Doctor  was  given  to  a  Shawnee  warrior,  to  be  con- 
ducted to  their  town.  The  boys  and  squaws  then 
fell  upon  the  other  prisoners,  and  tomahawked  them 
in  a  moment.  Crawford  was  then  driven  toward  the 
village,  Girty  accompanying  the  party  on  horseback. 
At  the  village  resided  an  Indian  chief,  named  Wingc- 
nund. 

This  chief  had  been  known  to  Crawford  some  time 
before,  and  had  been  on  terms  of  true  friendship  with 
him,  and  kindly  entertained  by  him  at  his  own  house ; 
and  such  acts  of  kindness  all  red  men  remember  with 
gratitude.  Wingenund  does  not  appear  to  have  been 
present  when  the  first  preparations  were  made  for 
burning  the  prisoner,  but  resided  not  far  from  the 
fatal  spot,  and  had  retired  to  his  cabin,  that  he  might 


CRAWPORD    AND    WINQENUND. 


75 


;h 


not  see  the  sentence  of  his  nation  executed  upon  one 
calhng  liim  his  friend;  but  Crawford  requested  that 
he  might  be  sent  for,  cheering  his  almost  raylesa  mind 
with  the  faint  hope  that  he  would  interpose  and  save 
him.  Accordingly,  Wingenund  soon  appeared  in  the 
presence  o^  the  bound  and  naked  white  man. 

lie  was  asked  ?3y  Crawford  if  he  knew  him,  who 
said,  he  believed  he  did,  and  asked,  "  Are  you  not 
Colonel  Crawford?"  "I  am,"  replied  the  Colonel. 
The  chief  discovered  much  agitation  and  embarrass- 
ment, and  ejaculated,  " So  ! — Yes! — Indeed!"  "Do 
you  not  recollect  the  friendship  that  always  existed 
between  us,  and  that  we  were  alM'ays  glad  to  see  each 
other?"  said  Crawford.  "Yes,"  said  the  chief,  "I 
remember  all  this,  and  that  we  have  often  drank  to- 
gether, and  that  you  have  been  kind  to  me."  "  Then 
I  hope,"  added  Crawford,  "the  same  friendship  still 
continues."  "  It  would,  of  course,"  said  Wingenund, 
"were  you  where  you  ought  to  be,  and  not  here." 
"And  why  not  here?"  said  the  Colonel.  "I  hope 
you  would  not  desert  a  friend  in  time  of  need.  Now 
is  the  time  for  you  to  exert  yourself  in  my  behalf,  as 
I  should  do  for  you,  were  you  in  my  place."  "Col. 
Crawford,"  replied  Wingenund,  "you  have  placed 
yourself  in  a  situation  which  puts  it  out  of  my  power 
and  that  of  others  of  your  friends  to  do  any  thing 
for  you."  "How  so.  Captain  Wingenund?"  said  the 
Colonel.  He  added,  "  By  joining  yourself  to  that 
execrable  man,  Williamson  and  his  party;  the  man 
who  but  the  other  day  murdered  such  a  number  of 


I 


7rt 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


tlie  Moravian  Indians,  knowing  them  to  be  friends; 
knowing  that  ho  ran  no  risk  in  murdering  a  people 
who  would  not  fight,  and  whoso  only  business  was 
praying."  "But  I  assure  you,  Wingenund,"  said 
Crawford,  "  that  had  I  been  with  him  at  the  time,  thia 
would  not  have  happened.  Not  I  alone,  but  all  your 
friends,  and  all  good  men,  wherever  they  are,  repro- 
bate acts  of  this  kind."  "That  may  be,"  said  Win- 
genund, "yet  these  friends,  these  good  men,  did  not 
prevent  him  from  going  out  again,  to  kill  the  re- 
mainder of  those  inoffensive,  yet  foolish  Moravian 
Indians!  I  say  foolish,  because  they  believed  the 
whites  in  preference  to  us.  We  had  oftc.  told  them 
that  they  would  be,  one  day,  so  treated  by  those  peo- 
ple who  called  themselves  their  friends!  We  told 
them  that  there  was  no  faith  to  be  placed  in  what  the 
white  men  said;  that  their  fair  promises  were  only 
intended  to  allure  us,  that  they  might  the  more  easily 
kill  us,  as  they  have  done  many  Indians  before  they 
killed  these  Moravians."  "I  am  sorry  to  hear  you 
speak  thus,"  said  Crawford;  "as  to  Williamson's 
going  out  again,  when  it  was  known  that  he  was  de- 
termined on  it,  I  went  out  with  him  to  prevent  him 
from  committing  fresh  murders."  "  This,"  said  Win- 
genund, "  the  Indians  would  not  believe,  were  even 
I  to  tell  them  so."  Crawford  then  asked,  "And 
why  would  they  not  believe  it?"  "Because,"  replied 
Wingenund,  "  it  would  have  been  out  of  your  power 
to  prevent  his  doing  what  he  pleased."  "  Out  of  my 
power?"  exclaimed  the  Colonel,  and  asked,  "Have 


CBAWFOUD    DOOMED. 


77 


any  Moravian  Indians  boon  killed  or  hurt  since  we 
came  out?"  "None,"  answered  the  chief;  "  but  you 
went  first  to  their  town,  and  finding  it  empty  and 
deserted,  you  turned  on  the  path  toward  us.  If  you 
had  been  in  search  of  warriors  only,  you  would  not 
have  gone  thither.  Our  spies  watched  you  closely. 
They  saw  you  while  you  were  embodying  yourselves 
on  the  other  side  of  the  Ohio.  They  saw  you  cross 
that  river — they  saw  where  you  encamped  at  night — 
they  saw  you  turn  off  from  the  path  to  the  dosovto/j 
Moravian  town — they  knew  you  were  going  out  of 
your  way — your  steps  were  constantly  watched,  and 
you  were  suffered  quietly  to  proceed,  till  you  reached 
the  spot  where  you  were  attacked." 

Crawford,  doubtless,  with  this  sentence,  ended  his 
last  rays  of  hope.  He  asked,  with  faint  emotion, 
"What  do  they  intend  to  do  with  me?"  when  Winge- 
nund  frankly  replied,  "I  tell  you  with  grief.  As 
Williamson,  with  his  whole  cowardly  host,  ran  off  in 
the  night,  i.  the  whistling  of  our  warriors'  balls, 
being  satisfied  that  now  he  had  no  Moravians  to  deal 
with,  but  men  who  could  fight,  and  with  such  he  did 
not  wish  to  have  any  thing  to  do — I  say,  as  lie 
escaped,  and  they  have  taken  you,  they  will  take 
revenge  on  you  in  his  stead."  "And  is  there  no 
possibility  of  preventing  this  ?"  said  Crawford ;  "  can 
you  devise  no  way  to  get  me  off?  You  shall,  my 
friend,  be  well  rewarded  if  you  are  instrumental  in 
saving  my  life."  "  Had  Williamson  been  taken  with 
you,"  answered  the  chief,  "I  and  some  friends,  by 


78 


LIFE    APIONQ    THE    INDIANS. 


making  use  of  what  you  have  told  mo,  might,  per- 
haps, have  succcodod  in  saving  you;  but  as  tho  matter 
now  stands,  no  man  would  dare  to  interfere  in  your 
behalf.  The  king  of  England  himself,  were  ho  to 
come  to  this  spot,  with  all  his  wealth  and  treasure, 
could  not  effect  this  purpose.  The  blood  of  tho 
innocent  Moravians,  more  than  half  of  them  women 
and  children,  cruelly  and  wantonly  murdered,  calls 
aloud  for  rcveiuje.  The  relatives  of  the  slain,  who 
are  among  us,  cry  out  and  stand  ready  for  reve)i(je. 
The  nation  to  which  they  belonged  will  have  revevge. 
The  Shawnces,  our  grandchildren,  have  asked  for 
your  fellow-prisoner;  on  him  they  will  take  revenge. 
All  the  nations  connected  with  us  cry  out,  revenge!' 
revenge  !  The  Moravians,  whom  you  went  to  destroy, 
having  fled,  instead  of  avenging  their  brethren,  tho 
offense  is  become  national,  and  the  nation  itself  is 
bound  to  take  revenge  F* 

"My  fate  then  is  fixed,"  said  the  wretched  man, 
"  and  I  must  prepare  to  meet  death  in  its  worst 
form."  "Yes,  Colonel,"  replied  the  chief;  "I  am 
sorry  for  it,  but  can  not  do  any  thing  for  you.  Had 
you  attended  to  the  Indian  principle,  that  as  good 
and  evil  can  not  dwell  together  in  the  same  heart, 
60  a  good  man  ought  not  to  go  into  evil  company, 
you  would  not  be  in  this  lamentable  situation.  You 
see,  now,  when  it  is  too  late,  aftor  Williamson  has 
deserted  you,  what  a  bad  man  he  must  be !  Nothing 
now  remains  for  you  but  to  meet  your  fate  like  a 
brave  man.    Farewell,  Colonel  Crawford!  they  are 


PRIGIITFUL    rHEP  A  RATIONS. 


79 


coming,  I  will  retire  to  a  solitary  spot."  Having  Buid 
the^o  words,  he  withdrew. 

It  18  said  that  Wingcnund  shed  tears  at  parting  with 
his  former  friend.* 

The  preparations  for  the  horrible  tragedy  were 
goon  completed.  A  largo  stake  was  dnven  into  the 
gi'ound,  and  piles  of  dry  wood  heaped  up  around  it. 
Colonel  Crawford's  hands  were  then  tied  behind  liis 
back ;  a  strong  rope  was  produced,  one  end  of  which 
was  fastened  to  the  ligature  between  his  wristb,  and 
the  other  to  the  bottom  of  the  stake.  The  rope  was 
long  enough  to  permit  him  to  walk  round  the  stake 
several  times  and  then  return.  Fire  was  then  ap- 
ulicd  to  the  hickory  poles,  which  lay  in  piles  at  the 
distance  of  six  or  seven  yards  from  the  stake. 

The  Colonel  observing  these  terrible  pr'^parations, 
called  to  Girty,  who  sat  on  horseback,  at  the  distance 
of  a  few  yards  from  the  fire,  and  asked  if  the  In- 
dians were  going  to  burn  him.  Girty  replied  in  the 
affirmative.  The  Colonel  heard  the  intelligence  with 
firmness,  merely  observing  that  he  would  bear  it  with 
fortitude.  When  the  hickory  poles  had  been  burnt 
asunder  in  the  middle,  Captain  Pipe  arose  and  ad- 
dressed the  crowd  in  a  tone  of  great  energy,  and 
with  animated  gestures,  pointing  frequently  to  the 
Colonel,  who  regarded  him  with  an  appearance  of 
unruffled  composure.  As  soon  as  he  had  ended,  a 
loud  whoop  burst  from  the  assembled  throng,  and 


*  Drake's  Indians  of  North  America. 


80 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


tii 


I! 


^iW 


they  all  rushed  at  once  upon  the  unfortunate  Craw- 
ford. For  several  seconds  the  crowd  was  so  great 
around  him  that  Knight  could  not  see  what  they 
were  doing;  but  in  a  short  time  they  had  dispersed 
sufficiently  to  give  him  a  view  of  the  Colonel. 

His  ears  had  been  cut  off,  and  the  blood  was 
streaming  down  each  side  of  his  face.  A  terrible 
scene  of  torture  now  commenced.  The  warriors  shot 
charges  of  powder  into  his  naked  body,  commencing 
with  the  calves  of  his  logs,  and  continuing  to  his 
neck.  The  boys  snatched  the  burning  hickory  poles 
land  applied  them  to  hio  flesh.  As  fast  as  he  ran 
around  the  stake,  to  avoid  one  party  of  tormentors, 
he  was  promptly  met  at  evci-y  turn  bv  others,  w  ith 
burning  poles,  red-hot  irons,  and  rifles  loaded  with 
powder  only;  so  that  in  a  few  minutes  nearly  one 
hundred  charges  of  powder  had  been  shot  into  his 
body,  which  hnd  become  black  and  blistered  in  a 
dreadful  manner.  The  squaws  would  take  up  a  quan- 
tity of  coals  and  hot  ashes,  and  thvow  them  upon  his 
body,  f)0  that  in  a  few  minutes  he  had  nothing  but  fire 
to  walk  upon. 

In  the  extremity  of  his  agony,  the  unhappy  Colonel 
called  aloud  upon  Girty,  in  tones  which  rang  through 
Knight's  brain  with  maddening  effect:  "Girty!  Girty! 
shoot  me  through  the  heart!  Quick!  quick!  Do  not 
refuse  me!"  "Don't  you  see  I  have  no  gun.  Colo- 
nel!" replied  the  renegade,  bursting  into  a  laugh, 
and  then  turning  to  an  Indian  beside  him,  he  ut- 
tered soro.e  brutal  jests  upon  the  naked  and  miserable 


I  1 


THE    AWFUL    SCENE. 


81 


appearance  of  the  prisoner.  While  this  awful  scene 
was  being  acted,  Girty  rode  up  to  the  spot  where 
Dr.  Knight  stood,  and  told  him  that  he  had  now  had 
a  foretaste  of  what  was  in  reserve  for  him  at  the 
Shawnee  towns.  He  swore  that  he  need  not  expect 
to  escape  death,  but  should  suffer  it  in  all  the  ex- 
tremity of  torture. 

Knight,  whose  mind  was  deeply  agitated  at  the 
sight  of  the  fearful  scene  before  him,  took  no  no- 
tice of  Girty,  but  preserved  an  impenetrable  silence. 
Girty,  after  contemplating  the  Colonel's  sufferings  for 
a  few  moments,  turned  again  to  Knight,  and  indulged 
in  a  bitter  invective  against  a  certain  Colonel  Gibson, 
fi'om  whom,  he  said,  he  had  received  deep  injury,  and 
dwelt  upon  the  delight  with  which  he  would  see  him 
undergo  such  tortures  as  those  which  Crawford  was 
then  suffering.  lie  observed,  in  a  taunting  tone,  that 
most  of  the  prisoners  had  said,  that  the  white  people 
would  not  injure  him,  it  the  chance  of  war  was  to 
throw  him  into  their  power;  but,  that  for  his  own 
part,  he  sliould  be  loth  to  try  the  experiment.  "I 
think,"  added  he,  with  a  laugh,  "that  they  would 
roast  me  alive,  with  more  pleasure  than  those  red 
fellows  are  now  broihng  the  Colonel!  What  is  your 
opinion,  Doctor?  Do  you  think  they  would  be  gla<l 
to  see  me?"  Still  Knight  made  no  answer,  and  in 
few  minutes  Girty  rejoined  the  Indians. 

The  terrible  scene  had  now  lasted  more  than  two 
hours,  and  Crawford  had  become  much  exhausted. 
lie  walked  slowly  around  the  stake,  spoke  in  a  low 


wl 


82 


LIFE    AMONG    TUE    INDIANS. 


tone,  and  earnestly  besought  God  to  look  with  coic- 
pussiou  upon  him,  and  pardon  his  sins.     His  nerves 
had  lost  much  of  their  sensibility,  and  he  no  longer 
shrunk  from   the  firebrands  with  which   they  inces- 
santly touched  him.     At  length  he  sunk  in  a  fainting 
lit  u})on  his  face,  and  lay  motionless.     Instantly  an- 
Indian  sprung  upon   his  back,  kneeled  lightly  upon 
one  knee,  made  a  circular  inciaion  with  his  knife  upon 
the  crown  of  his  head,  and  clapoing  the  knife  be- 
tween his  teeth,  tore  the  scalp  off  with  both  hands.    ' 
Scarcely  had  this  been  done,  when  a  withered  hag 
approached  with  a  board  full  of  burning  embers,  and 
poured  them  upon  the   crown  of  his  head,  now  laid 
bare  to  the  bone.    The  Colonel  groanod  deeply,  arose,  * 
and  again  walked  slowly  around  the  stake.    But  why 
continue  a  description  so  horrible?     Nature  at  length 
could  endure  no  more,  and  at  a  late  hour  in  the  night 
he  was  released  by  death  from  the  hands  of  his  tor- 
mentors. 

Whether  Girty  really  took  pleasure  in  the  torture 
of  Colonel  Crawford,  or  was  forced  by  circumstances 
to  seem  to  enjoy  it,  is  a  question  which  historians 
have  generally  been  in  too  much  haste  to  determine. 
It  is  well  known  that  at  the  time  of  Crawford's  ex- 
pedition the  Indians  were  very  much  exasperated  by 
the  cold-blooded  slaughter  of  the  Moravian,  red  men 
at  Gnadenhurten — an  atrocity  without  a.  parallel  i»i 
border  warfare — and  to  have  seemed  merciful  to  the 
whites  for  a  single  moment  would  have  been  fatal  lo 
Girty.     Indeed,  it  is  aaid  that  when  he  spoke  of  ran- 


Vi'tA"*; 


ANOTUEK    TRAGEDY. 


83 


)I1 


soming  the  Colonel,  Captain  Pipe  threatened  him  with 
death  at  the  stake.  Let  justice  be  rendered  even  to 
tne  worst  of  criminals. 

Dr.  Knight,  made  bold  or  desperate  by  the  torture 
he  had  witnessed,  effected  his  escape  from  the  Shaw- 
nee warrior  to  whose  care  he  was  committed,  and 
after  much  suffering,  reached  th'e  settlements.  From 
liim  the  greater  portion  of  the  accviunt  of  Crawford's 
death  is  deriv  d,  and  corrected  by  the  statements  of 
Indians  present  on  the  occasion. 

To  augment,  if  possible,  the  horror  of  this  dread- 
ful tragedy,  the  son  of  Colonel  Crawford  was  com- 
pelled to  witness  it,  and,  not  long  after,  was  subjected 
to  the  same  cruel  fate.* 

From  the  above,  we  turn  to  a  tragedy  scarcely  less 
horrible,  which  will  exhibit  another  phase  of  savage 
cruelty.  Early  in  April,  1787,  a  party  of  fourteen 
Indians  attacked  a  family  living  at  Cooper's  Run,  in 
Bourbon  county.  Thct  family  consisted  of  the  mother, 
two  sons  of  mature  age,  a  widowed  daughter,  with  an 
infant  in  her  arms,  two  grown  daughters,  and  a 
daughter  of  ten  years.  They  occupied  a  double 
cabin.  In  one  division  were  the  two  grown  daugh- 
ters and  the  smaller  girl;  in  the  other,  the  remain- 
der of  the  family.  At  evening  twilight,  a  knocking 
was  heard  at  the  door  of  the  latter,  asking  in  good 
English,  and  the  customary  phrase  of  the  country, 
"Who  keeps  the  house?"     As  the  sons  were  opening 

*  Jlerocs  of  the  West. 


ilR 


W^ 


li^ii 


iiM'' 


mi 

m 


s  <. 


84 


LIFE     AMONG    THE    INDIANS, 


\\l\ 


the  door,  the  mother  forbade,  affirming  there  weio 
Indians  there.  The  young  men  sprang  to  their  guns. 
The  Indians,  being  refused  admittance,  made  an  eftbrt 
at  the  opposite  door.  They  beat  open  the  door  of 
that  room  with  a  rail,  and  endeavored  to  take  the 
three  girls  prisoners.  The  little  girl  escaped,  and 
might  have  evaded  danger,  in  the  darkness  and  the 
woods.  But  the  distracted  and  bewildered  child  ran 
to  the  other  door,  and  cried  for  help.  The  brothers 
wished  to  fly  to  her  relief,  but  the  mother  forbade 
her  door  to  be  opened.  The  merciless  tomahawk 
soon  hushed  the  cries  of  the  child  in  the  silence  of 
death.  While  a  part  of  the  Indians  were  murdering 
this  poor  child,  one  of  the  older  sisters  was  captured 
by  them  and  bound.  The  other  defended  herself 
bravely  with  a  knife,  killing  one  Indian  outright, 
but  was  then  killed  herself  by  another.  The  Indians, 
having  obtained  possession  of  one  half  of  the  house, 
set  it  on  fire.  The  rest  of  the  family,  Avho  were  now 
shut  up  in  the  other  part  of  the  cabin,  had  now  to 
choose  between  a  frightful  death  in  the  flames,  and 
the  hazard  of  attempting  to  escape  from  the  toma- 
hawks of  the  savages.  The  latter  stationed  them- 
selves in  the  dark  angles  of  the  fence,  where  they 
were  concealed  in  the  darkness,  while  the  bright 
glare  of  the  flames  exposed  any  who  might  attempt 
to  escape,  to  the  deadly  aim  of  their  riflee.  One  sou 
took  charge  of  his  aged  and  infirm  mother,  and  the 
other  of  his  widowed  sister  and  her  infant.  They 
started  in  diff'erent  directions,  and  attempted  lo  leap 


i 


iiil 


r-'.3ifcsjBaie<iir<!iitai^B.MMnnina««c'. 


PfiftSONAL    EN  COUNTER. 


^5 


the  fence  at  different  points.  The  mother  was  shot 
dead,  and  the  other  brother  was  also  killed,  gallantly 
defending  his  sister.  The  widowed  sister  with  her 
infant,  and  one  of  the  brothers,  escaped  the  massacre. 
These  persons  alarmed  the  settlement.  Thirty  men, 
commanded  by  Colonel  John  Edwards,  arrived,  the 
next  day,  to  witness  this  horrid  spectacle  of  murder 
and  ruin.  In  the  mean  time,  considerable  snow  had 
fallen,  so  that  it  was  easy  to  pursue  the  Indians  by 
their  trail.  In  the  evening  of  that  dJy,  they  came 
upon  the  expiring  body  of  the  captured  young  woman, 
nmrdered  but  a  few  moments  before  their  arrival. 
The  Indians  had  discovered  that  they  were  pursued 
by  the  barking  of  a  dog.  The  pursuing  party,  how- 
ever, overtook  and  killed  two  of  the  Indians,  who  had 
apparently  staid  behind  as  a  rear-guard,  or  to  enable 
the  others  to  escape. 

Many  were  the  desperate  encounters  between  indi- 
vidual combatants,  about  this  period.  One  occurred 
in  1770,  at  Bricket's  fort,  in  western  Virginia.  A 
Mr.  Morgan  came  in  contact  with  two  Indians,  and 
was  pursued  by  them.  Being  old  and  infirm,  he  soon 
boiran  to  filter  in  his  race  for  life.  But  he  under- 
stood  the  tactics  of  Indian  warfare  too  well  to  allow 
himself  to  be  overtaken  in  an  open  race.  Accord- 
ingly he  stopped  suddenly  behii.d  a  tree,  and  waited 
his  chance  for  a  shot.  The  Indians  did  the  same ; 
but  one  of  them  was  not  spfficiently  shielded  by  his 
trftc,  and  Morgan,  watching  his  opportunity,  fired  at 
the  exposed  part  of  his  body.     The  shot  took  effect, 


86 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


ml  ■^ 


m   :. 


and  the  savage  rolled  upon  the  ground  in  his  agony 
The  other  Indian  instantly  resumed  the  chase,  and 
Morgan's  gun,  being  now  unloaded,  he  was  compelled 
to  run  again.  The  Indian  gained  rapidly  upon  him. 
His  gun  was  already  poised  for  the  deadly  shot,  when 
Morgan  suddenly  turned  aside,  and  the  ball  passed 
by  him.  It  was  now  a  struggle  for  life,  in  single 
combat.  Morgan  struck  with  his  gun.  The  Indian 
threw  his  tomahawk,  which  cut  off  one  finger,  and 
otherwise  wounded  his  hand,  and  at  the  same  time 
knocked  the  gun  from  his  grasp.  They  closed,  and 
Morgan  being  an  expert  wrestler,  threw  the  Indian. 
•But  his  powerful  foe  soon  succeeded  in  getting  on 
top,  and  now  feeling  slirc  of  his  prey,  he  uttered  a 
demoniac  yell,  at  the  same  time  feeling  for  his  knife. 
A  woman's  apron,  which,  in  his  savage  fondness  for 
fantastic  dress,  he  had  bound  round  his  waist,  pre- 
vented his  grasping  the  knife.  Morgan  just  then 
seized  the  fingers  of  the  savage  between  his  teeth, 
which  he  clinched  to  go(»d  cft'ect.  The  Indian  at 
length  got  his  knife  unloosed,  and  seemed  again  on 
the  poiTit  of  consummating  the  butchery  of  his  vic- 
tim. But  unfortunately  for  himself,  he  had  seized 
the  handle  down  by  the  blade,  and  Morgr^n  succeeded 
in  grasping  the  handle  above.  As  the  Indian  drew 
it  from  the  scabbard,  Morgan  crippled  another  finger 
with  his  teeth,  causing  the  hand  to  relax  a  little  from 
its  grasp,  and  thus  succeeded  in  drawing  the  knife 
thiough  the  hand  of  the  savage,  cutting  a  deep 
wound,  and  thus  gained  entire  possession  of  it.     Both 


EXPLOIT    OF    Mils.     liOZAUTlI 


87 


now  •  |jrang  erect.  But  Morgan  still  had  the  finger 
firmly  clinched  between  his  teetli.  With  this  advan- 
tage, he  soon  succeeded  in  plunging  the  knife  to  its 
hilt  in  the  sav.age,  Avho  now  sunk  down,  and  was  soon 
dispatched. 

During  these  hloodj^  wars,  also,  exploits  were  per- 
formed by  females  worthy  of  a  record  upon  the  pages 
of  the  world's  history.  One  occurred  at  Dunkard's 
creek,  about  the  same  tkne  as  the  former.  Two  or 
three  families  had  fled  for  safety  to  the  house  of  a 
Mr.  Bozarth.  The  Indians  came  upon  it  when  it 
contained  only  Mr.  Bozarth  and  two  other  men. 
Warned  by  the  children,  -who  were  playing  outside, 
that  the  "  ugly  red  men  "  had  come,  one  of  the  men 
ran  to  the  door.  He  received  a  shot  and  fell.  The 
Indian,  who  had  shot  him,  sprang  in  after  him,  and 
grappling  w  th  the  other  white  man  was  thrown  down. 
Having  no  reapon,  he  called  upon  Mrs.  Bozarth  for 
a  knife.  ]  ot  finding  a  knife,  she  seized  an  ax,  and 
with  a  sin^^e  blow  cleft  the  head  of  the  savage.  At 
that  moment  another  Indian  shot  the  white  man  dead. 
Mrs.  Bo^.arth,  by  a  well-directed  bloAV,  leveled  the 
savage  v  ith  her  ax.  Others  were  crowding  in  behind; 
the  first  received  a  blow  on  the  head.  As  the  others 
drew  back,  she  succeeded  in  closing  and  fastening 
the  door.  The  two  white  men,  though  both  severely 
wounded,  tided  the  heroine  in  maintaining  the  de- 
fense, till  a  detachment  from  a  neighboring  settle- 
ment cam  >  up  for  their  relief.  All  th€  children  in 
the  yard  t  ere  butchered  by  the  incarnate  fiends.     The 


6d 


L  1 1"  E     AMONG    THE     I  N  t)  t  A  N  S  . 


im 


li'i 


1  •; 


whole  transaction  lasted  hardly  three  minutes;  ana 
yet,  considering  the  numhers  and  the  circumstances, 
it  was  a  severe  and  bloody  affair. 

Another,  and  perhaps  a  still  more  striking  instance 
of  female  heroism  occurred,  in  1791,  in  Nelson  county. 
The  house  of  a  Mr.  Merrill  was  assaulted  by  savages. 
Hearing  the  dogs  barking,  Mr.  Merrill  opened  the 
door  to  ascertain  the  cause.  He  was  fired  at,  and  fell 
wounded  into  the  room.  The  savages  attempted  to 
rush  in  after  him,  but  Mrs.  Merrill  and  her  daughter 
succeeded  in  closing  the  door.  The  assailants  began 
to  hew  a  passage  through  it  with  their  tomahawks; 
and,  having  made  a  hole  large  enough,  one  of  them 
attempted  to  squeeze  through  it  into  the  room.  Un- 
dismayed, the  courageous  woman  seized  an  ax,  gave 
the  ruffian  a  fatal  blow  as  he  sprang  through,  and 
he  sunk  quietly  to  the  floor.  Another,  and  still  an- 
other, followed  till  four  of  the  number  had  met  the 
same  fate.  The  silence  within  induced  one  of  them 
to  pause  and  look  through  the  crevice  in  the  door. 
Discovering  the  fate  of  those  who  had  entered,  the 
sava/^es  resolved  upon  another  mode  of  attack.  Two 
of  their  number  clambered  up  to  the  top  of  the  house, 
and  prepared  to  descend  the  broad,  Avoodcn  chimney. 
This  new  danger  was  promptly  met.  Mrs.  Merrill 
did  not  desert  her  post;  but  directed  her  little  son 
to  cut  open  the  feather  bed,  and  pour  the  feathers 
upon  the  fire.  This  the  little  fellow  did  with  excellent 
effect.  The  two  savages,  scorched  and  suffocated,  fell 
down  into  the  fire,  and  were  soon  dispatched  by  the 


fi.^pLoit  01'  T^vol^oVs. 


8t) 


cliildren  and  the  wounded  liusband.  At  that  moment 
a  fiftli  savage  attempted  to  enter  the  door;  but  he 
received  a  salute  upon  the  head,  from  the  ax  held 
by  Mrs.  Merrill,  that  sent  him  howling  away.  Thus 
seven  of  the  savages  were  destroyed  by  the  courage 
and  energy  of  this  heroic  woman.  When  the  sole 
survivor  reached  his  town,  and  was  asked,  "  what 
news?"  a  prisoner  heard  his  reply — "bad  news!  The 
squaws  fight  worse  than  the  long  knives." 

The  above  story  I  have  often  heard  from  the  lips 
of  Mrs.  Merrill  herself.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  After  the  death  of  her 
first  husband  she  was  married  to  a  Mr.  Hunter.  She 
settled  on  Paint  creek,  in  1797;  and  subsequently 
died  there,  in  the  triumphs  of  faith.  -  ;  ' 

One  more  anecdote  must  close  this  chapter.  Two 
boys,  Henry  and  James  Johnson,  living  on  Short 
creek,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Ohio,  while  at  play, 
some  distance  from  the  house,  were  taken  prisoners 
by  two  savages.  They  were  led  several  miles  into 
the  wood,  and  then  the  Indians  built  a  fire,  and  lay 
JoAvn  for  the  night — each  holding  one  of  the  captive 
boys  in  his  arms.  The  younger  wept  bitterly  at 
finding  himself  in  the  hands  of  the  savage  monsters, 
but  his  older  brother  tried  to  comfort  him.  The  little 
one  soon  fell  asleep  in  the  muscular  arms  of  his  mas- 
ter. The  other  slept  not;  his  mind  was  too  busy. 
At  length,  finding  his  keeper  sound  asleep,  he  grad- 
ually slipped  from  his  arms,  and  arose  to  his  feet. 

He  might  have  run  away,  and  escaped;  but  there  waa 

8 


1    ^f 


00 


LlFii    AMONG    THE    IKDlAXS. 


y 


'it 


a  • 


'111  'i 

ill!  lil 


his  little  brother  asleep  in  the  arms  of  his  savage 
master,  and  he  wouM  not  leave  him.  At  first,  he 
stepped  around,  and  to  tiy  the  soundness  of  tlic  In- 
dians' sleep,  he  renewed  the  fire — knowing  if  they 
awoke  and  found  him  thus  occupied  it  would  occnsion 
no  alarm.  But  their  sleep  was  too  profound  to  be 
disturbed.  lie  then  walked  up  to  his  brother,  gently 
woke  him,  .and  drew  him  from  the  embrace  of  his 
master.  The  older  brother  put  the  muzzle  of  one 
of  their  guns  to  the  ear  of  one  of  the  Indians,  and 
directed  his  brother  to  put  his  finger  on  the  trigger, 
and  pull  it  the  moment  he  saw  the  hatchet  descend- 
ing on  the  head  of  the  other.  The  plan  succeeded. 
The  tomahawk  descended  and  the  gun  went  off  at 
the  same  moment.  The  first  blow  of  the  tomahawk 
was  not  fatal.  "Lay  on,"  cries  out  the  little  fellow; 
"I  have  done  it  for  mine."  A  few  more  blows  from 
the  older  boy  "did  it"  also  for  the  other  Indian. 
The  two  boys  immediately  started  for  home;  and 
just  as  the  day  was  dawning  they  came  round  the 
corner  of  the  log-cabin,  and  heard  their  mother,  in 
agony,  lamenting  their  hard  fate,  and  saying  that 
they  had  been  taken  prisoners  and  perhaps  killed  by 
the  Indians.  The  joy  of  that  meeting  it  would  be 
difficult  to  describe,  but  we  can  readily  conceive  of 
the  pride  and  delight  with  which  that  mother  listened 
to  the  narrative  of  the  heroic  achievements  of  her 
two  sons. 

When  I  traveled  Wills  Creek  circuit  in  1809,  I 
became  acquaintod  with  the  Johnson  family.      The 


i 

m 


jwnng-rfftfcHBiiil— 


IIEXUY    AND    JAMES    JOllKSoN. 


91 


father  and  mother  were  still  living.  Henry,  their  old- 
est son,  was  a  class-leader  and  steward  in  the  Church 
at  St.  Clairsville;  James,  the  younger  son,  was  a  locnl 
preacher  on  the  circuit.  From  the  different  members 
of  the  family — and  especially  from  the  mother — I 
have  often  heard  the  above  narrative;  and  have  also 
been  upon  the  very  spot  where  the  Indians  were 
killed. 

Having  sketched  the  incidents  of  Indian  life  and 
warfare  up  to  the  treaty  of  Wayne  in  1795,  and  the 
first  establishment  of  the  white  population,  it  will 
aid  the  understanding  of  the  reader  to  take  a  brief 
survey  of  the  Indian  tribes  in  this  region  at  that 
period.  This  will  form  the  subject  of  the  next 
chapter.  •  •       r   V; 


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LIFE    AMONG    tHS    INDtxK^d. 


■  lU 


CHAPTER    IV. 

INDIAN    TRIBES    IN     THE    NORTH -WESTERN 

"TERRITORY. 

I  HAVE  brought  down  the  incidents  of  Indian  life 
and  warfare  in  the  North- Western  territory,  to  the 
treaty  concluded  by  Wayne,  in  1795.  This  was  also 
the  period  when  the  whites  began  to  pour  into  the 
country,  and  civilization  to  assume  her  supremacy 
in  regions  over  which  the  savage  had  exercised  un- 
disputed sway  for  ages.  Just  at  this  point,  then, 
it  will  be  interesting  to  take  a  hasty  survey  of  the 
occupants  of  the  country.  We  shall  therefore  notice 
some  of  the  leading  Indian  nations. 

Of  the  origin  of  the  Indian  race,  history  is  alto- 
gether silent.  And  although  God  "hath  made  of 
one  blood  all  nations  of  men  to  dwell  upon  the  earth," 
yet,  from  what  branch  of  the  family  of  Noah  they 
have  descended,  or  how  and  when  they  reached  this 
continent,  as  well  as  their  subsequent  history,  nothing 
bettor  is  left  to  us  than  mere  conjecture.  Even  their 
own  traditions  on  th.  ]  subject  differ,  and,  at  best, 
are  shrouded  in  great  obscurity,  or  rejected  as  ridic- 
ulous fables. 

It  is,  therefore,  utterly  impossible  to  determine, 
with  any  degree  of  certainty,  their  origin.    And  it 


JNDIAN    TRIBES    AND    HISTORY. 


93 


is  equally  difficult  to  keep  up  the  'listinct  line  of 
their  history,  even  in  more  modern  times.  Many  of 
their  tribes  ivere  broken  up,  and  portions  intermin- 
gled with  other  tribes  "•  nations.  Sometimes  whole 
nations  became  dispossessed  of  their  own  lands  by 
the  gradual  encroachment  of  the  white  population; 
and  changed  their  locality,  either  in  a  body,  or  by 
families,  or  tribes.  Indian  history  is  a  thing  of  tra- 
dition ;  and,  of  course,  such  events  become  intermin- 
gled and  confused  in  the  lapse  of  a  very  few  yeai*s. 
Another  source  of  perplexity  in  Indian  history,  is 
the  different  names  by  which  the  same  tribe  or  nation 
is  designated  by  travelers  and  historians.  From  the 
histories  relating  to  these  times,  and  from  my  per- 
sonal intercourse  with  leading  men  of  most,  if  not  a\\ 
these  nations,  I  have  gathered  what  can  be  had  con- 
cerning them* 

The  nations  of  which  I-  shall  principally  speak, 
arc  the  Wyandotts  or  Hurons,  the  Dclawarcs,  the  Iro- 
quois or  Five  Nations — sometimes  called  Mingocs— ? 
the  Dclawares,  the  Shawnees,  Chippewas,  Ottawas, 
and  Pottawatamies.  The  "Five  Nations"  included 
the  Mohawks,  Senccas,  Cayugas,  Onondagas,  and 
Oneidas. 

First  among  these  nations  were  the  \  /^yandotts, 
or  Hurons,  as  they  were  formerly  called.  So  far  as 
history  and  their  traditions  inform  us,  they  were  the 
original  proprietors  of  all  the  country  from  Macki- 
naw, down  the  lakes  to  Quebec,  west  to  the  Great 
Miami  river,  and  north-west  to  L^ke  Michigan.   When 


■PMIP 


94 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


the  French  first  settled  in  Canada,  the  nation  was  it 
possession  of  this  whole  country.  They  were  then 
a  numerous,  bold,  and  warlike  people ;  and  were  con- 
sidered the  strongest  and  oldest  tribe  of  all  the  north- 
ern Indians,  and  were,  therefore,  called  the  "Grand 
Fathers."*  All  the  surrounding  tribes  looked  to 
t  hem  for  counsel ;  and  their  decisions  were  respected, 
and,  in  most  cases,  were  final. 

When  the  French  settled  in  Canada,  it  was  by  their 
permission.  At  that  time  the  Huron  s  were  at  war 
with  the  Six  Nations — so  called — all  living  in  the 
state  of  New  York.  Their  traditions  say  that  this 
war  lasted  seventy  summers,  was  a  severe  conflict,  and 
was  characterized  by  dreadful  scenes  of  blood  and  car- 
nage. The  Six  Nations,  being  much  better  furnished 
with  arms  and  ammunition,  at  first  vanquished  the 
Wyandotts,  and  carried  the  war  into  their  country. 
But  the  Ottawas  and  Chippewas  united  with  the  Wy- 
andotts, and  drove  the  Six  Nations  back  to  their 
former  ground;  and  would,  in  all  probability,  have 
cut  them  rff  entirely,  but  for  the  interposition  of  the 
French  and  English,  who  brought  about  a  treaty, 
which  so  much  offended  the  nation  as  to  result  in  a 
lasting  separation ;  and  a  part  settled  below  Quebec. 
Anothei*  part,  supposed  to  be  fully  one-third  of  the 
whole  nation,  left  their  country  and  went  down  the 
Mississippi  river;  and  by  traders  who  can  speak  the 
Wyandott  language,  are  supposed  now  to  be  the  Sen\- 


*  ti«iier#l  Psrrisof)'a  IfOtt^r* 


THE    WYANDOTTS. 


95 


inoles  of  the  south,  from  the  fact  of  their  speaking 
nearly  the  same  dialect. 

The  great  body  of  the  nation,  however,  continued 
to  occupy  a  portion  of  their  old  grounds.  They  were 
situated  principally  in  the  vicinity  of  Detroit.  Still 
later  their  principal  headquarters  w  ?re  upon  the  San- 
dusky river.  Here  they  remained  on  their  reserva- 
tion, till  they  were  removed,  by  the  United  States 
Government,  to  the  lands  assigned  them  west  of  the 
Missouri  river,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas.  Hero 
a  small  fragment  of  the  Wyandott  nation  still  re- 
mains. 

While  the  nation  remained  together  with  their  al- 
lies, they  were  a  terror  to  all  the  surrounding  tribes. 
They  drove  the  Sac  and  Fox,  and  the  Sioux  tribes, 
west  of  the  Father  of  Waters — the  Mississippi — and 
had  long  and  bloody  wars  with  the  Cherokees.  Ken* 
tucky  was  their  battle-ground;  and,  it  is  said,  this 
was  the  reason  why  Kentucky  was  never  settled  by 
Indians.  Each  party  frequently  went  there  to  hunt, 
but  it  was  always  at  great  hazard. 

The  Wyandotts  were  always  a  humane  and  hospi- 
table nation.  This  is  clearly  manifested  in  thei.  suf- 
fering their  former  enemies  to  settle  on  their  lands, 
when  driven  back  before  the  white  population.  They 
kindly  received  the  Senecas,  Oayugas,  Mohegans, 
Mohawks,  Delawares,  and  Shawnees,  and  spread  a 
deer-skin  for  them  to  sit  down  upon;  signifying  the 
allotment  of  a  certain  portion  of  their  country,  the 
boundary  of  which  wna  designated  by  certain  rivers, 


^5 


H 


LIFE    AMONO    THE    INDIANS. 


i  ;i 


or  points  ou  certain  lakes ;  and  freely  given  for  their 
use,  without  money  and  without  price. 

This  fact  was  clearly  developed  when  the  different 
tribes  carao  to  sell  their  lands  to  the  Government. 
The  Wyandotts  pointed  out  these  bounds;  and  I 
heard  Between-lhe-LogB^  a  distinguished  chief,  say, 
that  the  Senccas  on  the  Sandusky  river  had  no  right 
to  sell  their  land  without  the  consent  of  the  Wyandott 
chiefs,  for  they  at  first  only  borrowed  it  from  them. 

Another  proof  of  their  humanity  is  their  treatment 
of  their  prisoners,  the  most  of  whom  they  adopted 
into  their  families,  and  some  in  the  place  of  their 
own  chiefs  who  had  fallen  in  battle.  Hence,  the 
greater  part  of  their  nation  is  now  very  much  mixed 
with  our  own  people — as  the  families  of  Armstrong, 
Brown,  Zane,  Walker,  and  others,  whose  descendants 
now  constitute  the  strongest  part  of  the  nation. 

According  to  their  traditions,  it  is  about  two  hun- 
dred years  since  this  nation  divided;  before  which 
time,  I  was  told  by  Honnis,  one  of  their  most  ven- 
erable chiefs,  that  the  warriors  of  their  nation  were 
called  upon  to  put  each  one  grain  of  corn  into  a 
wooden  tray  that  would  hold  more  than  half  a  bushel, 
and  that  before  all  had  done  so,  the  tray  was  full 
and  running  over.  They  were  a  numerous  and  pow- 
erful people,  covering  a  largo  tract  of  country  along 
the  great  lakes,  and  extending  their  claims  to  the 
Ohio  river.  But  now,  like  many  other  mighty  nations 
of  the  earth,  they  are  gbne  into  the  shades  of  forget- 
fulness,  and  another  race,  with  its  teeming  millions,. 


f  m 


INDfAN    UEROISM. 


97 


18  filling  up  the  whole  extent  of  their  vast  posses* 
sions.  Their  history,  like  themselves,  too,  is  almost 
extinct ;  and  but  little  is  left  to  tell  of  the  deeds  of 
valor,  or  the  mi^lity  achicvcmci  ts  of  these  heroes  of 
the  forest.  A  few  only  of  their  children  now  remair, 
pent  up  on  small  reservations,  and  these  are,  in  moBt 
cases,  dwindling  away  under  the  vices  of  a  Christian 
and  civilized  people. 

Much  has  been  said  about  the  barbarity  of  these 
tribes  in  their  mode  of  warfare ;  but  let  it  be  always 
recollected  that  they  were  nobly  engaged  in  the  de- 
fense of  their  country,  their  families,  and  their  nat- 
ural rights,  and  national  liberties.  Never  did  men 
acquit  themselves  with  more  valor,  nor,  according  to 
their  means,  make  a  better  defense.  It  is  true,  they 
M'cre  ignorant  of  military  tactics,  and  unacquainted 
with  the  science  of  war.  They  had  not  equal  ad- 
vantages of  weapons,  nor  the  art  of  combining  their 
whole  forces,  nor  the  numerical  strength  of  their 
enemies.  But  how  long  and  bloody  was  the  con- 
flict before  they  yielded  to  their  new  masters,  and 
with  what  great  reluctance  they  submitted  to  their 
numerous  and  increasing  enemies,  let  the  history  of 
by-gone  years  testify.  Their  bravery  and  unwilling- 
ness to  yield  were  clearly  proved  by  the  last  struggles 
which  they  made;  but  at  length  they  were  obliged 
to  submit  and  be  dictated  to  by  their  masters.  Their 
spirits  are,  in  a  great  measure,  broken,  and  the  red 
man  sits  and  smokes  his  pipe,  and  looks  on  his  coun- 
try as  tost.     The  pleasant  hunting-grounds,  in  which 


mummmmmm 


■Pi 


98 


I/IFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


:if: 


Ui 


H' 


he  used  to  chase  the  deer  and  bear,  and  the  luxuriant 
cane-brakes,  where  the  elk  and  buffalo  fed,  which  fur- 
nishet^  him  and  his  family  with  meat  and  clothing, 
have  fallen  into  the  hands  of  strangers.  The  cheer- 
ful notes  of  the  flute,  and  the  hoarser  sound  of  the 
turtle  shell,  no  longer  make  the  groves  vocal  with  joy- 
ful melody.  The  red  man  is  no  more  seen  stretched 
before  the  sparkling  fire,  nor  the  tinkling  horse-bell 
heard  in  the  blue-grass  plains.  The  Indian  now  sits 
and  looks  at  the  graves  of  his  fathers  and  friends, 
and  heaves  a  sigh  of  despair,  while  his  manly  face 
is  bedewed  with  the  silent  tear.  In  strains  of  sor- 
rowful eloquence  he  tells  of  the  happiness  of  ancient 
days,  and  relates  to  his  listening  children  the  mighty 
achievements  of  his  ancestors.  Gloom  fills  his  heart, 
while  he  sees,  at  no  great  distance,  the  end  of  his 
tribe.  He  walks  pensively  into  the  deep  and  silent 
forest,  wrapped  up  in  his  half-worn  blanket,  and  pours 
out  his  full  soul  in  his  prayers  to  the  Great  Spirit,  to 
relieve  his  sufferings  by  taking  him  and  his  to  rejoin 
his  tribe  in  another  and  better  world.  There  he  ex- 
pects to  have  once  more  a  country  of  his  own,  sepa^ 
rate  from  white  men,  and  good  or  bad  hunting-ground, 
according  as  he  has  been  virtuous  or  vicious  in  this 
life. 

But  why  should  my  pen  dwell  on  these  gloomy 
scenes?  Am  I,  alone,  called  to  sing  the  mournful 
dirge  of  this  most  of  all  injured,  peeled,  and  ruined 
people  ?  No ;  ten  thousand  voices  shall  be  heard  to 
eympathize  with  the  poor  Indian ;  and  that  God,  wlic 


-*/, 


^rt 


THE     ''FIVE    NATIONS. 


» » 


99 


"hath  made  of  one  blood  all  nations  of  men  to  dwell 
upon  the  earth,"  will  judge  his  cause  and  avenge  his 
wrongs. 

The  "Five  Nations"  have  become  somewhat  cele- 
brated in  Indian  history.  They  originally  occupied 
a  large  portion  of  the  territory  now  included  in  the 
state  of  New  York.  The  name  of  "Five  Nations" 
was  given  to  them  by  the  English,  because  they  con- 
stituted a  confederacy  of  that  number  of  distinct  na- 
tions. The  French  called  them  Iroquois ;  the  Dutch 
called  them  Maquas;  and  the  Virginia  Indians  gave 
them  the  name  of  Massawomckes.  At  home,  they 
were  known  by  the  name  of  Mingocs,  an<l  sometimes 
were  callC'd  Aganu.schion,  or  United  People. 

But  little  is  known  of  the  origin  of  these  nations. 
It  was  a  tradition  among  them  that  their  forefathers 
came  from  beyond  the  great  lakes,  and  subdued  the 
inhabitants  of  the  country,  and  took  possession  of  it. 
When  this  took  place,  they  do  not  pretend  to  say. 
The  Mohawks,  sometimes  called  Wabingi,  are  said 
to  have  been  the  oldest  of  the  confederacy,  and  that 
the  "Onayauts" — Oneidas — were  the  first  that  joined 
them  by  putting  themselves  under  their  protection. 
The  Onondagas  were  the  next,  then  the  "Teuonto- 
wanos,  or  Sinikers"  —  Senecas  —  then  the  "Cuiuk- 
guos" — Cayugas.  The  Tuscaroras,  from  Carolina 
joined  them  about  1712,  Lut  were  not  formally  ad 
mitted  into  the  confederacy  till  about  ten  years  after 
that.  The  addition  of  this  new  tribe  gained  them  the 
name  of  the  Six  Nations,  according  to  most  writers, 


mmmmm 


mmmm 


100 


LIFE    AMONG    TUE    INDIANS. 


I'' 


"\n 


i'rii 


'IK 


;'':!,! 


but  they  are  more  generally  known  as  the  "Five 
Nations." 

The  following  account  of  thcra  is  taken  from  the 
Biography  of  Mr.  Thatcher : 

"When  the  French  settled  in  Canada  in  1603,  they 
found  the  Iroquois  living  whore  Montreal  now  stands. 
They  were  at  war  with  the  Adirondacks — a  power- 
ful tribe,  residing  about  three  hundred  miles  above 
Trois-Rivieres — in  consequence  of  the  latter  having 
treacherously  murdered  some  of  their  young  men. 
Previous  to  this  date,  their  habits  had  been  more 
agricultural  than  warlike;  but  they  soon  perceived 
the  necessity  of  adopting  a  different  system.  The 
Adirondacks  drove  them  from  their  own  country,  and 
they  retreated  to  the  borders  of  the  lakes,  where 
they  have  ever  since  lived.  This  misfortune  it  was — 
ostensibly,  at  least,  a  misfortune — which  gave  the 
earliest  impulse  to  the  subsequent  glorious  career 
of  these  Romans  of  the  west. 

*' Fortunately  for  them,  their  sachems  were  men 
cf  a  genius  and  spirit  which  adversity  served  only 
to  stimulate  and  renew.  They,  finding  their  country- 
men discouraged  by  the  discomfiture  suffered  on  the 
banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  induced  them  to  turn 
their  arms  against  a  less  formidable  nation,  called 
the  Satanas,  then  dwelling  with  themselves  near  the 
lakes.  That  people  they  subdued,  and  expelled  from 
their  territory.  Encouraged  by  success,  and  strength 
ened  by  discipline,  they  next  ventured  to  defejid  them 
selves  Against  the  inroads  of  their  old  conquerors  on 


THE    ADIUONDACKS. 


lOl 


the  north;  and  at  length  the  Adirondacks  were  even 
driven  back,  in  their  turn,  as  far  as  the  neighborhood 
of  what  ia  now  Quebec. 

**But  a  new  emergency  arose.  The  French  made 
common  cause  with  the  nation  just  named  against 
their  enemies,  and  brought  to  the  contest  the  import- 
ant aids  of  civilized  science  and  art.  The  Five  Na- 
tions had  now  to  set  wisdom  and  wariness,  as  well 
as  courage  and  discipline,  against  an  alliance  so  pow- 
erful. Their  captains  came  forward  again,  and  taught 
them  the  policy  of  fighting  in  small  parties,  and  of 
making  amends  for  inferior  force,  by  surprisal  and 
stratagem.  The  result  was,  that  the  Adirondacks 
were  nearly  exterminated,  while  the  Iroquois,  proudly 
exalting  themselves  on  their  overthrow,  grew  rapidly 
to  be  the  leading  tribe  of  the  whole  north,  and  finally 
of  the  whole  continent 

"The  efforts  necessary  to  attain  that  ascendant, 
may  be  fairly  estimated  from  the  character  of  the 
first  vanquisher  and  the  first  victim.  The  Adiron- 
dacks fought  long  and  desperately.  In  the  end,  they 
adopted  their  adversaries*  plan  of  sending  out  small 
parties,  and  of  relying  especially  on  their  captains. 
Five  of  these  men,  alone,  are  said,  by  their  astonish- 
ing energy  and  bravery,  to  have  well-nigh  turned  the 
balance  of  the  war. 

"One  of  the  number  wa&  Piskaret,  in  his  c  . 
day  the  most  celebrated  chieftain  of  the  north.    He 
and  his  four  comrades  solemnly  devoted  themselves 
to  the  pdcpose  of  redeeming  the  sullied  glory  of  the 


U  iwti 


^IWUP 


i^MP 


102 


LIFE    AMONG    T II  K    INDIANS. 


nation,  at  a  period  when  the  prospect  of  conquest, 
and  perhaps  of  defense,  luid  ah-endy  become  despe- 
rate. Tiiey  set  out  for  Trois  Rivieres  in  one  canoe; 
each  of  them  being  provided  with  three  muskets, 
which  thoy  loaded  severally  with  two  bullets,  con- 
nected by  a  small  chain  ten  inches  iit  length.  In 
Sorcl  river,  they  met  with  five  boats  of  the  Iroquois, 
each  having  on  board  ten  men.  As  the  parties  rap- 
idly came  together,  the  Adirondacks  pretended  to 
give  themselves  up  for  lost,  and  began  howlinr'  the 
death-song.  This  was  continued  till  the  enemy  was 
just  at  hand.  They  then  suddenly  ceased  singing, 
and  fired  simultaneously  on  t)ic  five  canoes.  The 
charge  was  repeated  with  the  arms  which  lay  ready 
loaded,  and  the  slight  birches  of  the  Iroquois  were 
torn  asunder,  and  the  frightened  occupants  tumbled 
overboard  as  fast  as  possible.  Piskarct  and  his  com- 
rades, lifter  knocking  as  many  of  them  on  the  head 
as  they  pleased,  reserved  the  remainder  to  feed  their 
revenge,  whr'-h  was  soon  afterward  done  by  burning 
them  alive  in  the  most  cruel  tortures. 

"This  exploit,  creditable  i.s  it  might  be  to  the 
actors  in  the  eyes  of  their  countrymen,  served  only 
to  sharpen  the  fierce  eagerness  for  blood  which  still 
raged  in  the  bosom  of  Piskarct.  His  next  enter- 
prise was  far  more  hazardous  than  the  former;  and 
80  much  more  so,  indeed,  even  in  prospect,  that  not 
a  single  warrior  would  bear  him  company.  He  set 
out  alone,  therefore,  for  the  country  of  the  Five 
Nations — with  which  he  was  well  acquain|dd — about 


riSKARET  —  oTRANUE    EXPLOIT.       103 

iliat  period  of  the  spring  when  the  snow  was  begin- 
ning to  melt.  Accustomed,  as  an  Indian  must  be, 
to  all  emergencies  of  traveling  as  well  as  warfare, 
he  took  tlie  precaution  of  putting  the  hinder  part 
o!  his  snow-shoes  forward,  so  that  if  his  foritstcps 
sliould  happen  to  be  observed  by  his  vigilant  enemy, 
if  might  be  supposed  he  was  gone  the  contrary  way. 
For  further  security  he  went  along  the  ridges  and 
high  grounds,  where  the  snow  was  melted,  that  his 
track  might  be  lost. 

"On  coming  near  one  of  the  villages  of  tLo  Five 
Nations,  1  e  eoinealed  himself  till  night,  and  then 
entered  ;^  cabin,  while  the  inmates  were  fast  asleop, 
murdered  the  whole  family,  and  carried  the  scalps 
to  his  lurking-place.  The  next  day,  the  people  of 
the  village  sought  for  the  murderer,  but  in  vain.  He 
came  out  again  at  midnight,  and  repeated  his  deed 
of  blood.  The  third  night,  a  watch  was  kept  in 
every  house,  and  Piskaret  »vas  compelled  to  exercise 
more  caution.  But  his  purpose  was  not  abandoned. 
He  bundled  up  the  scalps  he  had  alreody  taken,  to 
carry  homo  with  him  as  a  proof  of  his  victory,  and 
then  stole  warily  from  house  to  house,  till  he  at  last 
discovered  an  Indian  nodding  at  his  post.  This  man 
he  dispatched  at  a  blow,  but  that  blow  alarmed  the 
neighborhood,  and  he  was  forced  immediately  to  fly 
for  his  life.  Being,  however,  the  fleetest  Indian  then 
alive,  he  was  under  no  opprehension  of  danger  from 
the  chase.  lie  sufiered  his  pursuers  to  approach  him 
iVora  time  to  time,  and  then  suddenly  darted  away 


104 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


ii 


from  them^  hoping  in  this  manner  to  discourage,  aa 
well  as  escape  them.  When  the  evening  came  on, 
he  hid  himself,  and  his  enemies  stopped  to  rest. 
Feeling  no  danger  from  a  single  enemy,  and  he  a 
fugitive,  they  even  indulged  themselves  in  sleep. 
Piskaret.  who  watched  every  movement,  turned  about, 
knocking  every  maa  of  them  on  the  head,  added 
their  scalps  to  his  bundle,  and  leisurely  resumed  his 
way  home. 

"To  return  to  the  Five  Nations.  The  career  of 
victory,  which  began  with  the  fall  of  the  Adiron 
dacks,  was  destined  to  be  extended  beyond  all  prec- 
edent in  the  history  of  the  Indian  tribes.  They 
exterminated  the  Eries  or  Erigas,  once  living  on  the 
south  side  of  the  lake  of  their  own  name.  They 
nearly  destroyed  the  powerful  Anderstcz,  and  the 
Ohouanons  or  Showanons.  They  drove  back  the 
Ilurons  and  Ottawas  among  the  Sioux  of  the  Upper 
Mississippi,  where  they  separated  themselves  into 
bands,  *  proclaiming,  wherever  they  went,  the  terror 
of  the  Iroquois.'*  The  Illinois,  on  the  west,  were 
also  subdued,  with  the  Miamies  and  Shawnees.  The 
Niperceneans  of  the  St.  Lawrence  fled  to  Hudson's 
Bay,  to  avoid  their  fury.  *The  borders  of  the  Ou- 
taonis,*  says  a  historian,  *  which  were  long  thickly 
peopled,  became  almost  deserted.'  f  The  Mohawk 
was  a  name  of  terror  to  the  farthest  tribes  of  New 
England;   and  though  but  one  of  that  formidable 


*nerrf  t's  Hiatory  of  Canada. 


tlbfaL 


IIVE    NATIONS — lEOQUOIS. 


105 


people  should  appear,  for  a  moment,  on  the  hills  of 
tlie  Connecticut  or  Massachusetts,  the  villages  below 
would  be  in  an  uproar  of  confusion  and  fear.  Finally 
tlioy  conquered  the  tribe  of  Virginia,  west  of  the 
Alleghanies;  and  warred  against  the  Catawbas,  Cher- 
okeos,  and  most  of  the  nations  of  the  south. 

"  The  result  of  this  series  of  conquests,  was,  that 
the  Five  Nations  finally  became  entitled,  or,  at  least, 
laid  claim  to  all  the  territory  not  sold  to  the  English, 
from  the  mouth  of  Sorel  river,  on  the  south  side  of 
Lakes  Erie  and  Ontario,  on  both  sides  of  the  Ohio, 
till  it  falls  into  the  Mississippi;  and  on  the  north 
side  of  these  lakes,  the  whole  tract  between  the  Ou- 
tawas  river  and  Lake  Huron.  The  historian,  Douglas, 
estimates  their  territory  at  about  twelve  hundred 
miles  in  length,  from  north  to  south,  and  from  seven 
hundred  to  eight  hundred  miles  in  breadth." 

As  to  the  extent  of  the  L'oquois  in  the  west,  and 
the  influence  they  exerted  over  other  nations,  we 
think  Mr.  Thatcher's  account  somewhat  exaggerated. 

They  entered  into  a  treaty  of  peace  with  the  Dutch 
soon  after  their  settlement  in  New  York.  The} 
treated  with  the  English  subsequently  on  the  same 
terms ;  and  this  memorable  engagement  remained  in- 
violate for  more  than  a  century,  during  all  the  revo- 
lutions and  machinations  of  the  French  and  English 
governments,  on  either  side.  With  the  former  of 
these  people  they  were  often  at  war. 

When  the  swelling  tide  of  civilization  overflowed 
most  of  their  ancient  central   territory,  and  drove 


106 


LIFB    AB&ONG    THE    INDIANS. 


I  i! 


tliem  westward  to  mingle  with  the  other  Indian  na 
tions  already  occupying  the  country,  they  lost  much 
of  their  pre-eminence,  and  soon  blended,  to  a  great 
extent,  with  other  tribes,  so  as  to  lose  much  of  their 
identity.  This  was  their  condition  ac  the  first  advent 
of  civilization  into  the  territory  north-west  of  the 
Ohio  river.  Indeed,  they  were  less  prominent  in  the 
warlike  excursions  of  the  savages,  prior  to  Wayne's 
treaty,  in  1795,  than  some  of  the  other  nations. 
They  were,  at  this  period,  scattered  mainly  along  the 
southern  and  eastern  shores  of  Lake  Erie,  though 
tribes  and  settlements  of  them  were  formed  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  north-west. 

We  have  referred  to  the  wars  between  the  Iroquois 
and  the  Adirondacks,  or  Algonquincs,  on  the  banks 
of  the  St.  Lawrence,  about  the  year  1600.  From 
this  stock  the  Ottawas,  Chippewas,  and  Pottawata- 
mies,  claim  to  have  sprung.  Their  traditions  repre- 
sent that  they  emigrated  westward,  in  a  body,  till 
they  reached  Lake  Huron,  where  they  separated  into 
three  parties,  from  which  originated  these  three  na- 
tions. The  Ottawas  settled  in  the  region  of  Macki- 
naw, while  the  Pottawatamies  and  Chippewas  pene- 
trated still  farther  into  the  north  and  west  regions. 
The  latter  appear  to  have  settled  at  the  outlet  of 
Lake  Superior,  from  which  point  they  penetrated  into 
the  regions  bordering  upon  that  Lake.  The  Ottawas 
wore  the  most  enterprising  and  warlike. 

Detroit  was  founded,  by  the  French,  in  July,  1701, 
and  from  that  time  the  Ottawas  began  to  give  fre- 


FONTIAC  AND  THE  OTTAWAS. 


107 


quent  manifestations  of  a  spirit  which  finally  made 
them,  respectively,  an  ally  or  an  enemy  of  the  first 
importance  to  the  difierent  civilized  parties  with  whom 
they  held  intercourse.  Only  three  years  after  the 
Frunch  settled  in  their  vicinity,  several  of  their  chiefs 
wore  induced  to  visit  the  English  at  Albany.  The 
almost  inevitable  consequence  of  the  interview  was, 
that  they  returned  home  with  a  firm  persuasion  that 
the  French  intended  to  subdue  them.  They  attempted 
to  fire  the  town,  therefore,  in  one  instance;  and, 
about  the  same  time,  a  war-party,  or.  their  return 
from  a  successful  expedition  against  the  Iroquois — 
whom  they  were  bold  enough  to  attack  in  their  own 
country — paraded  in  front  of  the  Detroit  fortress, 
and  offered  battle.  After  some  hard  fighting,  they 
were  defeated  and  driven  off.  Subsequently  the  Ot- 
tawas  entered  not  only  into  a  treaty  of  peace  with 
the  French,  but  became  their  warm  and  fast  friends.  * 
At  the  close  of  the  old  French  and  English  war, 
in  1760,  the  territory  of  the  north-west  was  given 
up  by  the  former  to  the  latter.  The  Ottawas  gave- 
to  this  arrangement  a  sullen  acquiescence.  But  very 
soon,  under  the  powerful  leadership  of  Pontiac,  their 
discontent  resulted  in  an  extensive  combination  of 
the  north-western  tribes  against  the  English.  Pontiac 
occupies  a  prominent  place  in  Indian  history.  Ho 
appears  to  have  been  at  the  head  of  several  hundreJ 
Indian  warriors,  when  Braddock  was  defeated  in  1755. 


*Tbaioher'8  Indian  Biography. 


fmurn 


wm 


108 


LIFE    AMOKO    DHS    INDIANS. 


1    I 


ITo  also  distinguished  himself  in  several  battles.  By 
the  force  of  his  character,  and  the  wisdom  of  hia 
address,  he  acquired  a  predominance  over  all  the 
other  chiefs;  so  that,  in  fact,  he  was  a  sort  of  em- 
peror over  several  confederate  nations.  The  prmci- 
pal  of  these  were  the  Ottawas,  Wyandotts,  Shawnecs, 
Ghippewas,  Pottawatamies,  Miamies,  Winnebagocs,  and 
one  or  two  tribes  of  less  importance.  His  headquar- 
ters were  near  Detroit,  but  his  influence  was  felt 
among  the  Indian  tribes  throughout  the  north-west. 

Colonel  Rogers  marched  into  the  country,  at  the 
head  of  an  English  force,  from  Montreal,  in  1760, 
to  displace  the  French  in  the  several  military  sta- 
tions. On  his  way  he  was  met  by  an  embassy  from 
Pontiac,  consisting  of  some  of  his  own  warriors,  to- 
gether with  several  chiefs  belonging  to  subordinate 
tribes.  The  object  was,  to  inform  him  that  Pontiac, 
in  person,  proposed  to  visit  him;  that  he  was  then 
not  far  distant,  coming  peaceably;  and  that  he  de- 
sired the  Colonel  to  halt  his  detachment  till  such  time 
as  he  could  see  him  with  his  own  eyes.  Pontiac  soon 
came  up  in  person,  and,  with  an  air  of  majesty,  de- 
manded of  the  officer  his  business,  and  how  it  came 
that  he  dared  enter  the  country  without  his  permission. 
When  the  Colonel  told  him  he  had  no  design  against 
the  Indians,  and  only  wished  to  remove  the  French, 
their  common  enemy,  and  cause  of  all  their  trouble, 
delivering  him,  at  the  same  time,  several  belts  of 
wampum,  Pontiac  replied,  ^'I  stand  in  the  path  you 
travel  in,  till  to-morrow  morning,"  and  gave  him  a 


COL.    ROGERS    AND    PONTIAC. 


109 


'belt.  This  communication  was  understood,  and  "  was 
as  much  as  to  say,"  says  the  Colonel,  "I  must  not 
march  further  without  his  leave."* 

The  Colonel  continues:  "When  he  departed  for 
the  night,  he  inquired  whether  I  wanted  any  thing 
that  his  country  afforded,  and  if  I  did,  he  would  send 
his  warriors  to  fetch  it.  I  assured  him  that  any  pro- 
visions they  brought  should  be  paid  for;  and,  the  next 
day,  we  were  supplied  by  them  with  several  bags  of 
parched  corn,  and  some  other  necessaries.  At  our 
second  meeting,  he  gave  me  the  pipe  of  peace,  and 
both  of  us,  by  turns,  smoked  with  it ;  and  he  assured 
me  he  had  made  peace  with  me  and  my  detachment; 
tliat  I  might  pass  through  his  country  unmolested, 
and  relieve  the  French  garrison;  and  that  he  would 
protect  me  and  my  party  from  any  insults  that  might 
be  offered  or  intended  by  the  Indians;  and,  as  an 
earnest  of  his  friendship,  he  sent  one  hundred  war- 
riors to  protect  and  assist  us  in  driving  one  hundred 
fat  cattle,  which  we  had  brought  for  the  use  of  the 
detachment  from  Pittsburg,  by  the  way  of  Presque 
Isle.  He  likewise  sent  to  the  several  Indian  towns, 
on  the  south  oide  and  west  end  of  Lake  Erie,  to 
inform  them  that  I  had  his  consent  to  come  into  the 
country.  He  attended  me  constantly  after  this  inter- 
view till  I  arrived  at  Detroit,  and  while  I  remained 
in  the  country,  and  was  the  means  of  preserving  the 
detachment  from  the  fury  of  the  Indians,  who  had 


*  Drake's  Indian  Biography. 


!i{ 
I 


iHi 


tll'l! 


ii' 


mnn 


iiHil 


li  ii 


,« 


110 


LIFE    AMONO    THE    INDIANS. 


assembled  at  the  mouth  of  the  strait,  with  an  inteut 
to  cut  us  oif.  I  had  several  conferences  with  him,  in 
which  he  discovered  great  strength  of  judgment,  and 
a  thirst  after  knowledge." 

This  same  officer  observes,  that  ho  discovered  much 
curiosity  at  their  equipage,  and  wished  to  know  how 
their  clothes  were  made,  and  to  learn  their  mode  of 
war.  He  expressed  a  willingness  to  acknowledge  the 
king  of  England,  though  not  as  his  superior,  but  as 
his  uncle,  which  he  would  acknowledge,  as  he  was 
able,  in  furs.  England  was  much  in  his  thoughts, 
and  he  often  expressed  a  desire  to  see  it.  He  told 
Colonel  Rogers  that  if  he  would  conduct  him  .there, 
he  would  give  him  a  part  of  his  country.  He  was 
willing  to  grant  the  English  favors,  and  allow  them 
to  settle  in  his  dominions,  but  not  unless  he  could  be 
viewed  as  sovereign;  and  he  gave  them  to  under- 
stand, that,  unless  they  conducted  themselves  agreea- 
bly to  his  wishes,  "  he  would  shut  up  the  way,"  and 
keep  them  out. 

This  peace  and  acquiescence  of  Pontiac  were  of 
short  duration.  His  far-seeing  mind  was  not  long  in 
perceiving  that  his  own  people  must,  erelong,  be 
entirely  uprooted  by  the  English,  and  that  his  own 
power  would  pas3  away  before  the  new  order  of 
things.  This  conviction  roused  all  the  soul  of  the 
great  Pontiac,  and  he  determined  upon  an  organized 
resistance  to  the  encroachments  of  the  English.  In 
fact,  he  counted  upon  nothing  less  thpu  their  entire 
extermination. 


PLAN    OF    PONTIAC. 


Ill 


and 


The  plan  of  operations,  says  Mr.  Thatcher,  adopted 
by  Pontiac,  for  effecting  the  extinction  of  the  English 
poAv^r,  evinces  an  extraordinary  genius,  as  well  as  a 
coujagc  and  energy  of  the  highest  order.  This  was 
a  sudden  and  cotemporaneous  attack  upon  all  the 
British  posts  on  the  Lakes — at  St.  Joseph,  Ouiate- 
non,  Green  Bay,  Mackinaw,  Detroit,  the  Maumee, 
and  the  Sandusky — and  also  upon  the  forts  at  Ni- 
agara, Presque  Isle,  Le  BoDuf,  Verango,  and  Pitts- 
burg. If  the  surprise  could  be  simultaneous,  so  that 
every  Engli'^h  banner,  which  waved  upon  a  line  of 
thousands  of  miles,  should  be  prostrated  at  the  same 
moment,  the  garrisons  would  be  unable  to  exchange 
assistance;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  the  failure  of 
one  Indian  detachment  would  have  no  effect  to  dis- 
courage another.  Certainly,  some  might  succeed. 
Probably,  the  war  might  begin  and  be  terminated  with 
the  same  single  blow;  and  then  Pontiac  would  again 
be  the  lord  and  king  of  the  broad  land  of  his  an- 
cestors. 

Having  determined  upon  his  plan,  he  called  to- 
gether his  own  tribe — the  Ottawas — who  were  pecu- 
liarly under  his  control.  He  rehearsed  to  them  the 
wrongs  and  indignities  the  Indians  had  received  from 
the  English ;  showed  them  that  if  no  check  were  put 
upon  the  invaders  of  their  country,  the  utter  destruc- 
tion of  the  Indian  race  must  ensue.  He  then  un- 
folded to  them  the  plans  he  had  formed.  The  Otta- 
was came  warmly  into  the  views  of  their  great  leader. 
With  equal  zeal   the  Chippewas  and  Pottawatamios 


mmmm^^ 


mmmmmmmm 


mmm 


'%F 


IB 


112 


LIFE    AMONG    TUB    INDIANS. 


came  into  the  combination.  With  untiring  energy 
Pontiac  matured  his  plans  and  extended  them,  till  all 
the  prominent  Indian  nations  were  drawn  into  the 
combination.  He  succeeded  even  in  drawing  the 
Pennsylvania  and  Ohio  Delawares,  and  the  Five  Na- 
tions— or  Six,  as  they  were  then  called — into  the 
combination. 

The  plan  was  now  ripe  for  execution,  and  with  the 
suddenness  of  a  whirlwind,  the  storm  of  war  burst 
forth  all  along  the  frontier.  Nine  of  the  British 
forts,  or  stations,  were  captured.  Some  of  the  gar- 
risons were  completely  surprised,  and  massacred  on 
the  spot ;  a  few  individuals,  in  other  cases,  escaped. 
The  oflScer  who  commanded  at  Prcsque  Isle,  defended 
himself  two  djiys,  duiing  which  time  the  savages  are 
said  to  have  fired  his  block-house  about  fifty  times, 
but  the  soldiers  extinguished  the  flames  as  often.  It 
was  then  undermined,  and  a  train  was  laid  for  an  ex- 
plosion, when  a  capitulation  was  proposed  and  agreed 
upon,  under  which  a  part  of  the  garrison  was  carried 
captive  to  the  north-west.  The  officer  was  afterward 
given  up  at  Detroit. 

A  great  number  of  English  traders  were  taken,  on 
their  way  from  all  quarters  of  the  country,  to  the 
different  forts;  and  their  goods,  as  well  as  those  of 
the  residents  at  such  places,  and  the  stores  at  the 
depots  themselves,  of  course,  became  a  prize  to  the 
conquerors.  Pittsburg,  with  the  smaller  forts,  Ligo- 
nier,  Bedford,  and  others  in  that  neighborhood,  were 
very,  closely  beset,  but  successfully  defended,  till  the 


TUE    PLAN    EXECUTED. 


113 


arrival  of  large  reinforcements.  The  savages  made 
amends  for  these  failures  by  a  series  of  the  most  hor- 
rible devastations  in  detail,  particularly  in  New  York, 
Pennsylvania,  and  even  in  northern  Virginia,  which 
have  ever  been  committed  upon  the  continent. 

In  case  of  the  most,  if  not  all  of  the  nine  sur- 
prisals  first  mentioned,  quite  as  much  was  effected  by 
stratagem  as  by  force,  and  that  apparently  by  a  pre- 
concerted system,  which  indicates  the  far-seeing  su- 
perintendence of  Pontiac  himself.  Generally,  the 
commanders  were  secured  in  the  first  instance,  by 
parties  admitted  within  the  fort,  under  the  pretense 
of  business,  or  friendship.  At  Mauraee,  or  the  Mi- 
amics — as  the  station  among  that  tribe  was  commonly 
designated — the  officer  was  betrayed  by  a  squaw,  who, 
by  piteous  entreaties,  persuaded  him  to  go  out  with 
her  some  two  hundred  yards,  to  the  succor,  as  she 
said,  of  a  wounded  man,  who  was  dying.  The  In- 
dians waylaid  and  shot  him. 

But  in  this  storm  of  war,  the  most  thrilling  and 
tragical  scones  were  enacted  at  Mackinaw  and  De- 
troit. The  former  was  the  scene  of  a  bloody,  sav- 
age triumph ;  the  latter,  of  a  long  and  perilous  siege. 
These  two  events  will  be  fully  noticed  in  subsequeit 
chapters. 

The  Delawares  figure  somewhat  in  the  Indl.;n  wars 
of  the  west.  At  the  early  discovery  of  this  country, 
the  Delawares  occupied  a  large  tract  north  of  the 
Potomac,  and  including  most,  if  not  all  the  state  of 
Pennsylvania.     It  was  with  this  nation  that  William 


mmmmmimmiiiif'm 


mm 


114 


LIFE    AMONG    TUE    INDIANS. 


Pcnn  made  his  celebrated  treaty;  and  among  them 
liis  name  was  almost  idolized  for  two  or  three  gen- 
erations. As  civilization  advanced,  the  ancient  pro- 
prietors of  the  soil  receded  before  it.  After  crossing 
tlie  AUeghanies,  they  found  a  brief  resting-place  in 
t'.ie  wilds  of  Ohio.  This  was  about  the  year  1760, 
^.hen  they  were  settled  on  the  banks  of  the  Musk- 
ingum and  neighboring  small  rivers.  Here  they  be- 
came somewhat  intermixed  with  the  Shawnees,  and 
joined  them  in  many  of  their  warlike  or  predatory 
excursions.  In  the  Revolutionary  war,  this  nation 
was  divided — one  portion  of  them,  under  the  leader- 
ship of  Captain  Pipe,  taking  part  with  the  English; 
the  other,  under  Captain  White-Eyes,  taking  part 
with  th«  Colonics.  The  division  proved  especially 
destructive  to  them.  But  they  still  preserved  their 
nationality;  and  on  the  death  of  White-Eyes,  came 
under  the  influence  of  Captain  Pipe. 

The  tribe  was  largely  represented  by  warriors  in 
the  defeat  of  St.  Clair.  They  also  shared  the  com- 
mon calamity  of  defeat  in  the  destructive  campaign 
of  General  Wayne  against  the  Indians.  After  this, 
in  common  with  the  other  Indian  tribes,  they  wasted 
away  under  the  blasting  influence  of  the  accursed 
fire-water.  In  connection  with  the  Shawnees,  under 
the  leadership  of  Tecumseh,  they  rallied  once  more 
to  resist  the  ever-encroaching  tide  of  civilization. 
But  it  was  only  a  spasmodic  effort  of  vital  energy, 
vainly  put  forth,  and  immediately  subsiding  into  the 
torpor  of  the  unwaking  sleep  of  death.    First  they 


DELAWARE    CHIEF. 


116 


wcro  removed  west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  finully 
pushed  still  further,  to  the  west  of  tkc  Missouri, 
where  a  remnant  of  this  great  pe»|jTo  now  remains. 

The  following  incident  occurreA  during  the  past 
winter.  It  was  related  by  a  correspondent  of  the 
Cincinnati  Gazette,  and  will  throw  some  light  upon 
the  present  condition  of  the  Dolawares.  "  The  walk," 
says  our  traveler,  "  from  Leavenworth  to  Lawrence— 
a  distance  variously  estimated  from  thirty  to  thirty- 
five  miles — is  not  a  hard  one  for  a  day;  but,  yester- 
day, the  wind  blew  strongly  in  my  face,  the  small 
streams  were  so  SAvollen  as  to  cause  some  delay  in 
crossing  them,  and  night  overtook  me  on  the  Indian 
lands  about  ten  miles  from  Lawrence.  It  was  cloudy 
and  dark,  and  the  prairie  fires  afforded  light  only  to 
bewilder  mo.  Four  miles  from  Lawrence  lives  Sar- 
coxie,  the  chief  of  the  Delawares.  When  I  reached 
there  it  began  to  rain,  and  I  stopped  at  the  chief's  to 
ask  lodging  for  the  night.  He  welcomed  me  cor- 
dially, parading  qn  the  occasion  all  the  broken  En- 
glish he  had  at  command.  He  is  an  old  man — his 
form  tending  to  corpulency,  and  his  hair  sprinkled 
with  gray.  What  is  remarkable  for  an  Indian  chief, 
he  was  very  sociable. 

"  His  principal  house  is  a  log-cabin,  about  eighteen 
feet  square,  of  hewed  logs,  and  well  chinked.  It  was 
so  comfortable  for  Kansas  that  I  expressed  my  ad- 
miration of  it.  He  said,  'White  man  build  it,*  and 
expressed  some  contempt  for  such  labor.  I  asked 
biw  if  there  had  been  much  fighting  in  Kansas,    He 


116 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


Bsiitl,  *Yc8,  lioap;  white  man  figlit  heap.'  I  askod 
which  fought  best — the  Missourians  or  the  Yankees? 
He  replied,  '  Missourians  fight  and  run  off;  Yankees 
fight  and  stay  here.  Yankees  got  good  guns ;  shoot 
man  half  a  mile.'  I  asked  if  the  Indians  fought? 
Ifo  replied,  'Delawares  don't  fight — they  are  men.' 

"  His  wife  and  daughters  prepared  supper  for  me  of 
ten  eggs,  fresh  pork,  and  warm  bread,  no  butter  and 
no  milk.  A  good-natured,  barefooted,  Indian  girl, 
with  a  broad,  apple-dumpling  face,  and  a  form  largest 
at  the  waist,  poured  out  my  tea.  She  appeared  about 
fourteen  years  old — just  budding  into  squaw-hood. 
I  looked  at  her  so  intently  while  she  was  pouring 
out  the  tea  that  she  became  embarrassed,  blushed, 
and  then  laughed  and  poured  on  till  the  cup  ran  over. 
*'  After  supper  I  tried  to  engage  her  in  a  conver- 
sation. I  talked  of  every  thing  I  could  think  of  that 
might  interest  a  young  lady,  except  the  most  inter- 
esting of  all  subjects,  but  got  no  reply.  As  a  last 
resort,  I  talked  of  that.  She  listened  attentively, 
and,  at  length,  said,  with  a  cunning  expression,  *You 
want  land.'  That  short  sentence  was  every  word 
that  I  got  out  of  her  the  whole  evening. 

"I  slept  in  an  out-house,  which,  after  turning  out 
a  lot  of  Indian  dogs,  and  barricading  the  door  with 
an  old  musket,  I  thought  I  had  to  myself,  but,  after 
I  got  fairly  into  bed,  the  dogs  came  in  b^  getting 
nnder  the  cabin,  and  pushing  up  the  floor  boards. 
The  Indians  seemed  to  be  prowling  about  all  night, 
ftnd  had  breakfast  ready  long  before  daylight.     I  had 


MORAVIAN    MtSSlOKARXES. 


117 


long  suspected  that  the  habit  of  early  rising  was  a 
remnant  of  barbarism,  and  since  I  liave  discovered 
that  the  lazy  Indians  practice  it,  I  think  I  shall  never 
s<)ck  to  indulge  it  again. 

"  While  eating  breakfast,  I  observed  the  girl  in 
whom  I  had  been  interested  the  previous  evening, 
sitting  by  the  fire  with  a  pappoose  in  her  arms. 

"It  was  a  brigl^t  little  one;  and,  though  only  two 
months  old,  had  its  ears  pierced,  and  pewter  rings  in 
then.  I  was  perfectly  thunderstruck  by  her  telling 
me  that  it  was  her  child,  but  she  seemed  quite  fond 
of  it.  Indeed,  it  adds  to  her  value,  for  as  land  is 
divided  per  head  among  the  Indians,  this  pappoose 
entitles  her  to  double  the  amount  she  could  claim 
without  it.  This  explained  the  suspicion  with  which 
she  regarded  my  advances  the  previous  evening;  but 
I  do  most  solemnly  assure  you,  incredible  as  it  may 
seem,  that,  notwithstanding  her  double  dowry,  I  did 
not  feel  avaricious  enough  to  renew  them." 

Before  leaving  the  Delawares,  we  should  remark, 
that  among  them  were  the  principal  missionary  sta- 
tions of  the  Moravians.  The  names  of  Count  Zinzen- 
dorf,  of  David  Zeister,  and  John  Heckeweld^r,  will 
be  held  in  everlasting  remembrance  for  their  efforts 
to  bring  these  poor  natives  to  the  knowledge  of 
Christ.  Alas!  that  those  noble,  self-denying  efforts 
should  have  been  brought  to  naught  by  the  wicked- 
ness of  white  men !  I  mean  that  class  of  back- 
Tvoodsmen  of  whom  Mr.  Heckewelder  says:  "Act- 
ing up  to  the  pretended  belief  that /an  Indian  haa 


mmm 


mmmmmm 


118 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


no  more  soul  than  a  buffalo/  and  that  to  kill  cither 
is  the  same  thing,  they  have,  from  time  to  time,  by 
iheir  conduct,  brought  great  trouble  and  bloodshed 
upon  the  country."  The  outrages  of  this  chiss  of 
men  often  incited  the  savage  cruelty  of  the  wild  In- 
dians; and  then,  in  revenge  for  the  cruelties  prac- 
ticed by  them,  would  practice  brutal  outrages,  not 
less  disgraceful  and  revolting  to  humanity  upon  the 
peaceful  Moravian  Indians. 

An.  instance  of  this  kind  occurred  in  1763.  There 
was  a  peaceful  settlement  of  those  Indians  at  Cones- 
toga,  entirely  peaceful  and  inoffensive.  No  sooner, 
however,  did  the  community  begin  to  be  excited  by 
the  breaking  out  of  Pontiac's  war,  than  a  company 
of  white  demons  resolved  upon  the  destruction  of 
this  settlement.  In  true  savage  style  they  came  upon 
the  peaceful  village  by  stealth.  There  were  only 
twenty-nine  souls  in  it  at  the  time.  Fourteen  of 
these  were  murdered  in  cold  blood.  The  others  es- 
caped, and  reaching  Lancaster,  were  placed  in  the 
jail  for  safe-keeping.  The  bloodthirsty  demons  who 
had  already  butchered  their  kindred,  broke  through 
the  walls  and  completed  their  fiend-like  work. 

An  eye-witness  of  the  latter  part  of  the  drama  of 
death  says :  "  I  ran  into  the  prison-yard ;  and  there, 
0  what  a  horrid  sight  presented  itself  to  my  view! 
Near  the  back  door  of  the  jail  lay  an  old  Indian 
and  his  squaw  —  well  known  and  esteemed  by  the 
people  of  the  town,  on  account  of  his  peaceful  and 
friendly  conduct,  as  well  as  for  his  honesty  and  integ- 


CBUELTY    OF    WUITES. 


llti 


rlty  of  cliaracter.  His  name  was  Will  Sock ;  acmss 
him  and  his  squaw  lay  two  children  of  about  the  age 
of  three  years,  Avhose  licads  were  split  with  the  toma- 
hawk, and  their  scalps  taken  off.  Towjird  the  middle 
of  the  jail  yard,  along  the  west  side  of  the  wall,  lay 
a  stout  Indian,  whom  I  particularly  noticed,  to  have 
been  shot  in  the  breast;  his  logs  vere  chopped  with 
the  tomahawk ;  his  hands  cut  off;  and,  finally,  a  rifle- 
ball  discharged  in  his  mouth,  so  that  his  head  was 
blown  to  atoms,  and  his  brains  were  splashed  against, 
and  yet  hangirig  to,  the  wall  for  three  or  four  feet 
around.  In  this  manner  lay  the  whole  of  them — 
men,  women,  and  children,  scattered  about  the  prison- 
yard,  shot,  scalped,  hacked,  and  cut  to  pieces." 

No  wonder  that  such,  foul  deeds  of  darkness  not 
only  excited  the  deadliest  hostility- against  the  whites 
among  the  heathen  Indians,  and  at  the  same  time 
deepened  their  aversion  to  the  religion  of  Christ. 
Thus  were  they  blinded  to  the  truth,  and  rejected 
that  Savior  who  would  have  i'olded  tlie  poor  outcast 
Indian  to  his  breast,  and  cnridied  him  with  the  sal- 
vation of  the  Gospel. 

The  Shawnees  have  acquired  an  unenviable  noto- 
riety. Many  are  the  tales  of  terror  toid  of  them  in 
"  the  dark  and  bloody  ground."  The  very  name  of 
Shawnee  was  a  word  of  terror  or  of  execration  to  the 
early  settler  among  the  cane-brakes  of  Kentucky,  or 
upon  the  rich  bottoms  of  Ohio.  They  originally  had 
their  home  in  the  south,  occupying,  probably,  Gr6orgia 
and  the  Floridas.     "They  were  a  restless  pe?ple, 


m 


hti'&    AMON'Q    due    tN*DlA}fS. 


tlelighting  in  wars."  At  length  a  combination  of  tlie 
most  powerful  Indian  nations  of  the  whole  south— 
the  Cherokees,  Creeks,  Choctaws,.  and  others — was 
made  against  them.  To  escape  utter  annihilation,  they 
fled  their  country,  and  emigrated  north.  They  set- 
tled on  the  Ohio  and  its  branches,  where  the  generous 
Wyandotts  "  spread  a  deer-skin  for  them  to  sit  down 
upon  " — that  is,  gave  them  lands  to  settle  upon.  In 
these  regions  they  became  numerous  and  poAverful, 
without  at  all  changing  their  general  character.  Mar- 
shall, the  historian  of  Kentucky,  says:  "Of  all  the 
Indians  who  have  been  marauding  in  the  country,  the 
Shawnees  were  the  most  mischievous  as  they  were 
the  most  active."  In  fact,  from  the  commencement 
of  the  old  French  war  in  1755,  down  to  the  conclu- 
sion of  Wayne's  treaty  in  1795 — a  period  of  forty 
years — the  Shawnees  seem  to  have  been  ever  active 
in  some  bloody  war,  or  murderous  foray  against  the 
new  settlements.  Ten  or  twelve  years  of  compar- 
ative quiet  succeeded  to  the  treaty  of  Wayne  ;*  then 
came  the  great  and  final  conflict  of  the  nation  under 
the  lead  of  their  favorite  chief — Tecumseh — the  last 
great  Indian  warrior,  who,  for  a  short  period,  sought 
.to  stay  the  inevitable  extermination  of  his  race. 

The  principjil  headquarters  of  the  Shawnees  were 
in  the  valleys  of  the  Scioto  river  and  Paint  creek 
They  had  also  a  large  village  near  the  mouth  of  Mas- 
sie's  creek,  a  few  miles  north  of  v  here  Xenia  now 
is ;  and  another  called  Piqua,  on  the  Mad  river,  a  few 
miles  below  Springfield.    When  the  Miamies  removed 


PoUft   tfttBES. 


121 


from  the  Great  Miami,  a  division  of  Shawnces  suc- 
ceeded them  in  the  possession  of  the  country.  The 
Shawnees,  like  most  other  Indian  nations,  were  orig- 
inally divided  into  tribes,  and  each  tribe  subdivided 
into  families.  Mr.  Drake  says,  that  of  these  tribes 
the  names  of  but  four  are  preserved — the  remainder 
having  become  extinct,  or  incorporated  with  them. 
They  are,  first,  the  Mequachake;  second,  the  Chilli- 
cothe ;  third,  the  Kiskapocoke ;  fourth,  the  Piqua. 
When  in  council,  one  of  these  tribes  is  assigned  to 
each  of  the  four  sides  of  the  council-house,  and,  dur- 
ing the  continuance  of  the  deliberations,  the  tribes 
retain  their  r.cspective  places.  They  claim  to  have 
the  power  of  distinguishing,  at  sight,  to  which  tribe 
an  individual  belongs;  but,  to  the  casual  observer, 
there  are  no  visible  shades  of  diflference.  In  each 
of  the  four  tribes,  except  the  Mequachake,  the  chiefs 
owe  their  authority  to  merit,  but,  in  the  last-named, 
the  ofl5ce  is  hereditary.  Of  the  origin  of  the  Piqua 
tribe,  the  following  tradition  has  been  recited.*  "In 
ancient  times  the  Shawnees  had  occasion  to  build 
a  large  fire,  and  after  it  was  burned  dowa,  a  great 
puflSng  and  blowing  was  heard,  when  up  rose  a  man 
from  the  ashes !  hence  the  name  Piqua,  which  means 
a  man  coming  out  of  the  ashes." 

The  Shawnees  arrogated  to  themselves  a  superior- 
ity over  the  whites,  as  well  as  over  other  tribes  of 


*  Stephen  Ruddell's  manusorfpt  account  of  the  Shawnees,  In  poM«»> 
tion  of  the  author. 


mm 


V2^ 


LtP£   iMONO   til£   INDIANS. 


Indians.  At  the  convention  held  at  Fort  Wayne,  in 
1803,  one  of  their  principal  men  set  forth  their  views 
in  the  following  manner:  He  said,  "The  Master  of 
Life,  who  was  himself  an  Indian,  made  the  Shaw- 
nees  before  any  other  of  the  human  race ;  and  tlicy 
sprang  from  his  brain:  he  gave  them  all  the  knowl 
edge  he  himself  possessed,  and  placed  them  npon 
the  great  island,  and  all  the  other  red  people  dre 
descended  from  the  Shawnees.  After  he  had  made 
the  Shawnees,  he  made  the  French  and  English  out 
of  his  breast,  the  Dutch  out  of  his  feet^  and  the 
long-knives  out  of  his  hands.  All  these  inferior  races 
of  men  he  made  white,  and  placed  them  beyond  the 
stinking  lake.* 

"The  Shawnees,  for  many  ages,  continued  to  be 
masters  of  the  continent,  using  the  knowledge  they 
had  received  from  the  Great  Spirit  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  be  pleasing  to  him,  and  to  secure  their  own 
happiness.  In  a  great  length  of  time,  however,  they 
became  corrupt,  and  the  Master  of  Life  told  them 
that  he  would  take  away  from  them  the  knowledge 
which  they  possessed,  and  give  it  to  the  white  peo- 
ple, I'o  be  restored  when,  by  a  return  to  good  prin- 
ciples, they  would  deserve  it.  Many  ages  after  that 
they  saw  something  white  approaching  their  shores. 
At  first  they  took  it  for  a  great  bird ;  but  they  soon 
found  it  to  be  a  monstrous  canoe  filled  with  the  verv 
people  who  had  got  the  knowledge  which  belonged 


*Atlai)tio  OoeoD. 


•^ssssaamBssm^ssa^: 


^.,Ma«tJiiiSMMsmaMli»-»m£Uii!>^aMtu\uai^: 


THfi    SltAWNfiES. 


123 


to  the  Shawnces.  A.fter  these  white  people  landed, 
the^  were  not  content  with  having  the  knowledge 
which  belonged  to  the  Shawnees,  but  they  usurped 
their  lands  also.  They  pretended,  indeed,  to  have  pur 
chased  these  lands ;  but  the  very  goods  they  gave  for 
them  were  more  the  property  of  the  Indiana  than 
the  white  people,  because  the  knowledge  which  en- 
abled them  to  manufacture  these  goods  actually  be- 
longed to  the  Shawnees;  but  these  things  will  soon 
have  an  end.  The  Master  of  Life  is  about  to  restore 
to  the  Shawnees  their  knowledge  and  their  rights, 
and  he  will  trample  the  long-knives  under  his  feet." 

Some  of  the  Shawnee  villages  had  quite  a  large 
population.  That  called  Upper  Piqua,  on  the  Miami, 
is  sa,id  to  have  numbered  over  four  thousand.  But, 
since  the  inroads  of  civilization,  no  tribe  had  dwin- 
dled away  more  rapidly.  So  reduced  were  they  that, 
of  the  forty  thousand  Indians  removed  to  the  Indian 
territory  west  of  the  Mississippi,  prior  to  1836,  only 
eighteen  hundred  were  Shawnees.  A  mere  fragment 
of  them  now  remains;  and  soon  the  race  will  exist 
only  in  history. 

Mr.  Schoolcraft  thus  describes  the  condition  of 
the  Shawnees  in  1840: 

"They  are  placed  at  the  junction  of  the  Kansas 
with  the  Missouri,  extending  south  and  west.  They 
number  a  little  short  of  thirteen  hundred,  and  own 
a  territory  of  ten  thousand  square  miles,  or  six  mill- 
ion, four  hundred  thousand  acres.  They  are  culti- 
vators and  graziers  in  an  advanced  state  of  improve* 


124 


LtFfi    AMONG    Tlli)    lNt>lANS. 


ment.  Hunting  may  be  occasionally  resorted  to  as 
a  sport  or  amusement,  but  it  has,  years  since,  been 
abandoned  as  a  source  of  subsistence.  Indeed,  the 
failure  of  game  in  that  region,  would  have  ren- 
dered the  latter  imperative,  had  not  their  improved 
habits  of  industry  led  to  it.  This  tribe  have  essen- 
tially conquered  their  aversion  to  labor.  They  drive 
oxen  and  horses  trained  to  the  plow.  They  split 
rails  and  build  fences.  They  erect  substantial  cabins 
and  barns.  They  have  old  corn  in  their  cribs  from 
year  to  year.  They  own  good  saddle-horses  and 
saddles,  and  other  articles  of  caparison,  and  a  trav- 
eler or  visitor  will  find  a  good  meal,  a  clean  bed,  and 
kind  treatment  in  their  settlements." 

From  this  we  learn,  that  though  driven  by  neces- 
sity to  change  their  habits,  even  this  has  not  checked 
their  downward  course.  Inevitable  ruin  seems  to  be 
their  doom  A  few  only  will  probably  escape  this 
doom,  by  attaining  to  a  higher  civilization,  and  inter- 
mingling with  the  white  race,  which  even  now  is  flow- 
ing all  around  their  forest  home. 

We  have  referred  to  the  wrongs  perpetrated  too 
often  upon  the  poor  natives,  by  the  more  intelligent 
white  man.  We  are  happy  now  in  being  able  to  add 
that,  so  far  as  our  Government  is  concerned,  the  pro- 
prietorship of  the  soil  has  been  always  recognized  as 
b«^ing  vested  in  the  aboriginal  occupants,  and  only  by 

aty  have  they  been  required  to  relinquish  it.  A 
Vkr.ier  in  the  Democratic  Review,  for  1844,  says: 

"It  remained  for  the  patriots  of  1775.  who  set  up 


INDIAN    TREATIES. 


126 


the  frame  of  our  present  government,  by  an  appeal 
to  arms,  to  award  the  aboriginal  tribes  the  full  pro- 
prietary right  to  the  soil  they  respectively  occupied, 
and  to  guarantee  to  them  its  full  and  free  use,  till 
such   right  was   relinquished  by  treaty  stipulations. 
So  far,  they  were  acknowledged  as  sovereigns.     This 
is   the  first   step   in   their  political   exaltation,  and 
dates,  in  our  records,  from   the   respective  treaties 
of  Fort  Pitt,  September  17,  1778,  and  of  Fort  Stan- 
wix,  of  October  22,  1784.     The  latter  was  as  early 
after  the  establishment  of  our  independence,  as  these 
tribes — the  Six  Nations,  who,  with  the  exception  of 
the  Oneidas,  sided  with  the  parent  country — could  be 
brought  to  listen  to  the  terms  of  peace.     They  were 
followed  by  the  Wyandotts,  Delawares,  Chippewas, 
and  Ottawas,  in  January,  1785;  by  the  Cherokees,  in 
November  of  the  same  year;  and  by  the  Choctaws 
and   Shawnees,  in   January,  1786.     Other   western 
nations  followed  in  1789;  the  Creeks  did  not  treat 
till  1790;    and  from  this  era,  the  system  has  been 
continued  up  to  the   present  moment.     It  may  bo 
aflSrmed,  that  there  is  not  an   acre  of  land  of  the 
public  domain  of  the  United  States,  sold  at  the  land- 
oflSces,  from  the  days  of   General  Washington,  but 
what  has  been  acquired   in  this  manner.     War,  in 
which  we  and  they  have  been  frequently  involved, 
since  that  period,  has  conveyed  no  territorial  right. 
We  have  conquered  them  on  the  field,  not  to  usurp 
territory,  but  to  place  them  in  a  condition  to  observe 
how  much  more  their  interests  and  permanent  pros- 


■"'"TWi^^lli^WPP 


an 


126 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


pcrity  would  be,  and  have  ever  been,  promoted  by 
the  plow  than  the  sword.  And  there  has  been  a 
prompt  recurrence,  at  every  mutation  from  war  to 
peace,  punctually,  to  that  fine  sentiment  embraced  in 
the  first  article  of  the  first  treaty  ever  made  between 
the  American  Government  and  the  Indian  tribes; 
namely,  that  all  offenses  and  animosities  ^  shall  be 
mutually  forgiven,  and  buried  in  deep  oblivion,  and 
never  more  be  had  in  remembrance.'  "* 

In  addition  to  the  occupation  of  their  lands,  which 
is  guaranteed  by  the  United  States  Government,  an 
annual  appropriation  is  made  to  the  various  Indian 
tribes,  pursuant  to  the  treaty  with  each.  The  follow- 
ing is  ihe  appropriation  bill  for  the  present  year, 
making  an  aggregate  of  $2,350,368: 

For  the  Camanches,  Kiowas,  and  Apaches  of  Arkansas  rivor-*  ••  $25,000 

Blackfoet  Nation - 52,000 

Chippowas  of  Jjake  Superior 48,680 

Chippcwas  of  the  Mississippi 30,000 

Pillager  and  Lake  Winnibigoshish  bands 31,387 

Chippcwas  of  Saginaw,  Swan  creek,  and  Black  river 20,140 

Chippcwas,  Monomonees,  Winncbago^s,  and  Now  York  Indians-  •  1,500 

Chickasaws 3,000 

Chickasawsof  Sault  St.  Mario 17,474 

Chootaws 36,520 

Creeks • 649,140 

Calapoosas,  Molala,  and  Klockamas  Indians  of  Willamette  Valley  12,260 

Polawarcs 3,764 

Florida  Indians,  or  Seminoles 329,100 

lowas 2,876 

Kansas 10,000 

K  asknskias,  Peorias,  Weas,  and  Piankeshaws 9,940 

Kiokapoos 19,000 

Monomonees • 48,665 

•  Trwtjr  of  Fort  Pitt^  1779, 


INDIAN    APPROPRIATIONS. 


127 


Miamit'i  of  Knnsos f42,fl43 

Miamios  of  Indiana 16,700 

Mianiies  of  Eol  river 1,100 

Navnjocs 6,000 

Nisqually,  Puyallupj  and  other  tribes 7,600 

Omahas 42,140 

Orfagos 26,45f 

Ott/)es  ttnd  Missouris 22,140 

Oiia was  and  Chippewas  of  Michigan 65,040 

Ottawas  of  Kansas 2,000 

Pawnees 1,000 

Pottawatamies • 80,600 

Pottawatamies  of  Huron 400 

Quapanrs 2,660 

Chasta,  Scoton,  and  Umpqua  Indians 6,980 

Rogue  River  ••' 2,500 

Sa«sand  Foxes  of  Mississippi 73,880 

Sacs  and  Foxes  of  Missouri 16,870 

Seneoas 2;860 

Seaecas  of  New  York 11,000 

Seneoas  and  Shawnces 2,060 

Shawnees 105,000 

Six  Nations  of  New  York 4,600 

Sioux  of  the  Missouri 150,050 

Treaty  of  Fort  Laramie 70,000 

Umpquas 850 

Umpquas  and  Calapoosas 6,360 

Utahs 6,000 

Winnebagoes. 97,485 

Wyandotts 126,667 

Sioux  of  the  Mississippi 42,841 

Uleoellaneous  purposes 291,760 

Totid $2^360^ 


mmw^ 


128 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDTANS. 


m 


-ii 


i 


CHAPTER    V. 

SIEGE  OF  DETROIT  AND  THE  DEATH  OF  PONTIAO. 

One  of  the  most  thrilling  scene?  in  western  history 
was  the  siege  of  Detroit  by  the  Indians  in  1763. 
We  have  already  given  an  account  of  the  extensive 
combination  of  the  western  tribes  under  the  leader- 
ship of  Pontiac.  Detroit  was,  at  that  time,  the  most 
important  post  in  the  western  country;  and  on  this 
account  its  reduction  was  undertaken  by  Pontiac  hnn- 
self.  We  take  our  account,  with  some  modifications 
and  retrenchments,  from  the  interesting  work  of  Mr. 
B.  B.  Thatcher.* 

The  town  is  supposed,  at  this  period,  to  have  been 
inclosed  by  a  single  row  of  pickets,  forming  nearly 
four  sides  of  a  square;  there  being  block-houses  at 
the  corners  and  over  the  gates.  An  open  space  in- 
tervened between  the  houses  and  the  pickets,  which 
formed  a  place  of  arms  and  encircled  the  village. 
The  fortifications  did  not  extend  to  the  river,  but  i 
gate  opened  in  the  direction  of  the  stream,  and  net 
far  from  it,  where,  at  the  date  in  question,  two  armt  d 
vessels,  fortunately  for  the  inhabitants,  happened  to 
lie  at  anchor.     The  ordnance  of  the  fort  consisted  of 

•  lodian  Biotrrapby. 


DETROIT    THREAT EKED. 


129 


to. 
eel 


two  six-pounders,  one  three-poundcr,  and  throe  mor- 
tars; all  of  an  indifferent  quality.  The  garrison 
numbered  one  hundreji  and  thirty,  including  oflficcrs, 
besides  whom  there  were  in  the  village  something  like 
forty  individuals  who  were  habitually  enga^  i  in  the 
fur-trade.  The  inadequate  proportion  of  this  force, 
even  to  the  size  of  the  place,  may  be  inferred  from 
the  fact  that  the  stockade  which  formed  its  periphery 
was  more  than  one  thousand  feet  long. 

Such  was  the  situation  of  Detroit  Avhen  the  Ottawa 
chieftain,  having  completed  his  arrangements,  on  the 
8th  of  May  presented  himself  at  the  gates  of  tlie 
town,  with  a  force  of  about  three  hundred  Indians, 
chiefly  Ottawas  and  Chippewas,  and  requested  a  coun- 
cil with  Major  Gladwyn,  the  commandant.  He  ex- 
pected, under  this  -pretext,  to  gain  admission  for  him- 
self and  a  considerable  number  of  attendants,  who, 
accordingly,  Avere  provided  with  rifles,  sawed  off  so 
short  as  to  be  concealed  under  their  blankets.  At 
a  given  signal — which  was  to  be  the  presentation  of 
a  wampum-belt  in  a  particular  manner  by  Pontiac  to 
the  commandant,  during  the  conference — the  armed 
Indians  were  to  massacre  all  the  officers;  and  then, 
opening  the  gates,  to  admit  a  much  larger  body  of 
warriors,  who  should  be  waiting  without,  for  the  com- 
pletion of  the  slaughter  and  the  destruction  of  the 
fort. 

Fortunately,  Major  Gladwyn  obtained  a  knowledge 

of  the  scheme,  before  an  opportunity  occurred  for 

its  execution.     One  of  the  French  residents  in  tho 

9 


^^^^^mt^^^m^mrm 


i»"""«iW^ 


180 


LIFE    AMONQ    THE    INDIANS. 


vicinity,  returning  home,  on  the  morning  of  the  da-y 
last  mentioned,  is  said  to  have  met  Pontiac  and  hii* 
party  upon  Bloody  Bridge.  This  place,  which  still 
retains  its  name,  is  between  one  and  two  miles  from 
the  village.  The  last  warrior  in  the  file,  being  a 
particular  friend  of  the  white  man,  threw  aside  his 
blanket,  and  significantly  exhibited  the  shortened 
rifle  beneath.  Whether  his  disclosure  was  commu- 
nicated to  Major  Gladwyn,  can  not  be  determined. 

Carver  states — and  his  account  is  substantially  con- 
firmed by  tradition,  as  well  as  by  other  authorities— 
that  an  Indian  woman  betrayed  the  secret.  She  had 
been  employed  by  the  commandant  to  make  him  a 
pair  of  moccasins  out  of  elk-skin ;  and  having  com- 
pleted them,  she  brought  them  into  the  fort,  on  the 
evening  of  the  day  when  Pontiae  made  his  appear- 
fiuce,  and  his  application  for  a  council.  The  Major 
was  pleased  with  them,  directed  her  to  convert  the 
residue  of  the  skin  into  articles  of  the  same  descrip- 
tion, and  having  made  a  generous  payment,  dismissed 
her.  She  went  to  the  outer  door,  but  there  stopped, 
and,  for  some  time,  loitered  about  as  if  her  errand 
was  still  unperformed.  A  servant  asked  her  what 
she  wanted,  but  she  made  no  answer.  The  Major 
himself  observed  her,  and  ordered  her  to  be  called 
im,  when,  after  some  hesitation,  she  replied  to  his 
inquiries,  that  as  he  had  always  treated  her  kindly, 
she  did  not  like  to  take  away  the  elk-skin,  which  he 
valued  so  highly ;  she  could  never  bring  it  back.  The 
commandant's  curiosity  was  of  course  excited,  and  he 


ACTIVE    PREPARATIONS. 


181 


presscvl  the  cxainiiintion,  till  the  woman  at  l'-»ngtli  dis- 
closcd  every  thing  which  had  come  to  her  knowledge. 

Her  information  was  not  received  with  implicit  cre- 
dulity, but  the  Major  thought  it  prudent  to  employ 
the  night  lu  taking  active  measures  for  defense.  His 
arms  and  ammunition  were  examined  and  arranged; 
and  the  traders  and  their  dependents,  as  well  as  the 
garrison,  were  directed  to  be  ready  for  instant  serv- 
ice. A  guard  kept  watch  on  the  ramparts  during  the 
night,  it  being  apprehended  that  the  Indians  might 
anticipate  the  preparations  now  known  to  have  been 
made  for  the  next  day.  Nothing,  however,  was  heard 
after  dark,  except  the  sound  of  singing  and  dancing, 
in  the  Indian  camp,  which  they  always  indulge  in 
upon  the  eve  of  any  great  enterprise.  The  particu- 
lars of  the  council  of  the  next  day  we  shall  furnish 
on  the  authority  of  a  writer  already  cited.* 

In  the  morning,  Po||tiac  and  his  warriors,  sang  their 
war-song,  danced  their  war-dance,  and  repaired  to 
the  fort.  They  were  admitted  without  hesitation,  and 
were  conducted  to  the  council-house,  where  Major 
Gladwyn  and  his  officers  were  prepared  to  receive 
them.  They  perceived  at  the  gate,  and  as  they  passed 
through  the  streets,  an  unusual  activity  and  move- 
ment among  the  troops.  The  garrison  was  under 
arms,  the  guards  were  doubled,  and  the  officers  were 
armed  with  swords  and  pixels.  Pontiac  inquired  of 
the  British  commander  what  was  the  cause  of  this 


*  Governor  Cass. 


182 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


unusual  appearance.  He  was  answered,  that  it  was 
proper  to  keep  the  young  men  to  their  duty,  lest 
they  should  become  idle  and  ignorant.  The  busi- 
ness of  the  council  then  commenced,  and  Pontiac 
proceeded  to  address  Major  Gladwyn.  His  speech 
was  bold  and  menacing,  and  his  manner  and  gesticu- 
lations vehement,  and  they  became  still  more  so,  as 
he  approached  the  critical  moment.  When  he  was 
upon  the  point  of  presenting  the  belt  to  Major  Glad- 
wyn, and  all  was  breathless  expectation,  the  drums 
at  the  door  of  the  council-house  suddenly  rolled  the 
charge,  the  guards  leveled  their  pieces,  and  the  Brit- 
ish officers  drew  their  swords  from  their  scabbards. 
Pontiac  was  a  brave  man,  constitutionally  and  habitu- 
ally. He  had  fought  in  many  a  battle,  and  often  led 
his  warriors  to  victory.  But  this  unexpected  and 
decisive  proof,  that  his  treachery  was  discovered  and 
prevented,  entirely  disconcerted  him.  Tradition  says 
he  trembled.  At  all  events,  he  delivered  his  belt  in 
the  usual  manner,  and  thus  faileu  to  give  his  party 
the  concerted  signal  of  attack.  Major  Gladwyn  im- 
mediately approached  the  chief,  and  drawing  aside 
his  blanket,  discovered  the  shortened  rifle,  and  then, 
after  stating  his  knoAvledge  of  the  plan,  and  reproach- 
ing him  for  his  treachery,  ordered  him  from  his  fort. 
The  Indians  immediately  retired,  and  as  soon  as  they 
had  passed  the  gate  they  gave  the  yell;  and  fired  upon 
thf  garrison.  They  then  proceeded  to  the  commons, 
where  was  lying  an  aged  English  woman  with  her  two 
sons.     These  they  murdered,  and  afterward  repaired 


THE    FutlT    ATTACKED. 


133 


to  Hog  Island,  where  a  discharged  sergeant  resided 
with  his  family,  who  were  all  but  one  immediately 
massacred.     Thus  was  the  war  commenced. 

"The  tenth,  in  the  morning — Tuesday — they  at- 
tacked the  fort  very  resolutely.  There  continued  a 
very  hot  fire  ou  both  sides  tir»  the  evening,  when  they 
ceased  firing,  having  had  saveral  killed  and  wounded. 
They  posted  themselves  behind  the  garden-fences  and 
houses  in  the  suburbs,  and  'some  barns  and  out-houses 
thai  were  on  the  side  of  the  fort  next  the  woods, 
which  were  immediately  set  on  fire  by  red-hot  spikes, 
etc.,  from  the  cannon."  In  this  manner,  and  by  oc- 
casional sorties,  the  enemy  was  dislodged  and  driven 
back,  till  they  could  only  annoy  the  fort  by  approach- 
ing the  summit  of  the  low  ridge  which  overlooked 
the  pickets,  and  there,  at  intervals,  they  continued 
their  fire. 

Little  damage  was  done  in  this  way,  nor  did  the 
Indians  at  any  time  undertake  a  close  assault.  The 
commandant,  however,  ignorant  of  their  style  of  war- 
fare, apprehended  that  movement;  and  he  believed 
that  in  such  a  case — their  numbers  being  now,  ac- 
cording to  some  estimates,  six  or  seven  hundred,  and 
according  to  others,  about  twice  as  many — the  situa- 
tion of  the  garrison  would  be  hopeless.  Besides,  he 
had  but  three  weeks'  provision  in  the  fort,  "at  a 
pound  of  bread  and  two  ounces  of  pork  a  man  per 
day."  Under  these  circumstances,  fearful  of  the  con- 
sequences of  delaying,  he  immediately  commenced 
preparations   for   an  embarkation  on  board  the  two 


134 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


vessels  vhicli  still  lay  in  the  streanji,  with  the  inteu 
tion  of  retreating  to  Niagara. 

He  was  dissuaded  from  this  course  by  the  French 
residents,  who  positively  assured  him  that  the  enemy 
would  never  think  of  taking  the  fort  by  storm.  A 
truce  or  treaty  was  then  suggested.  Some  of  the 
French — who  were  the  chief  medium  of  communica- 
tion between  the  belligerent  parties — mentioned  the 
circumstance  to  Pontiac;  and  the  latter,  it  is  said, 
soon  after  sent  in  five  messengers  to  the  fort,  pro- 
posing that  two  of  the  officers  should  go  out  and 
confer  with  him  at  his  camp.  He  also  requested, 
that  Major  Campbell  might  be  one  of  them.  That 
gentleman  accordingly  went,  with  the  permission, 
though  not  by  the  command  of  Major  Gladwyn,  in 
the  afternoon  of  Wednesday,  the  eleventh.  Campbell 
took  Lieutenant  M'Dougall  with  him,  and  both  Avere 
attended  by  five  or  six  of  the  French. 

Whether  the  latter  had  meditated  a  treachery  or 
not,  does  not  appear.  The  French  residents  gener-> 
ally,  at  all  events,  can  not  be  fairly  charged  with 
improper  conduct  between  the  contending  parties, 
during  the  siege.  They  were  naturally  enough  sus- 
pected and  accused,  but  v.'e  have  seen  nothing  provf  ^ 
against  them.  The  two  officers  were,  however,  de- 
tained by  the  Indians ;  and  Ponti.ic,  who  is  generally 
supposed  to  have  conceived  this  scheme  for  obtaining 
an  advantap;e  over  the  garrison,  now  sent  in  terms 
of  capitulation.  These  were  to  the  effect,  that  the 
troops  should  immediately  surrender,  "  lay  down  their 


HOSTILITIES    RENEWED. 


135 


[y  or 
>ner^ 
with 
■ties, 
sus- 
hovf  ^ 
I,  de- 
jrally 
Ining 
ierms 
the 
Itheir 


arms,  as  their  fathers,  the  French,  had  been  obliged 
to  do — leave  the  cannon,  magazines,  and  merchants' 
goods,  and  the  two  vessels — and  be  escorted  in  bat- 
teaux  by  Indians  to  Niagara."  The  Major  promptly 
made  answer,*th«.t  "his  commanding  ofiicer  had  not 
sent  him  there  to  deliver  up  the  fort  to  Indians  or 
any  body  else,  and  he  would  therefore  defend  it  so 
long  as  a  single  man  could  stand  at  his  side." 

Hostilities  now  recommenced,  and  were  so  vigor- 
ously sustained  on  the  part  of  Pontiac,  that,  for  some 
month.s — says  the  diary — "the  whole  garrison,  offi- 
ce*''^, ^.  urs,  merchants,  and  servants.  *vere  upon  the 
ramparts  every  night,  not  one  having  slept  in  a  house, 
except  the  sick  and  wounded  in  the  hospital." 

Three  weeks  after  the  commencement  of  the  siege — 
on  the  thirtieth  of  May — the  English  sentinel  on  duty 
announced,  that  a  fleet  of  boats,  supposed  to  contain 
a  supply  of  provisions  and  a  reinforcement  of  troops 
from  Niagara,  was  coming  round  "the  point,"  at  a 
place  called  the  Huron  Church.  Tho  garrison  flocked 
to  the  bastioT -,,  nd  for  a  "moment,  at  least,  hope 
shone  upon  •  ly  countenance.  But  presently  the 
death-cry  of  i,iie  I  6»ans  was  heard,  and  the  fate  of 
the  detachment  was  at  once  known.  Their  approach 
having  ^  en  ascertained.  Pontiac  had  stationed  a  body 
of  warriors  at  Point  Pelee.  Twenty  «mall  batteaux, 
manned  by  a  considerable  number  of  troops,  and 
laden  with  «*  ores,  landed  there  in  the  evening.  The 
Indians  wat  vV  d  their  movements,  and  fell  upon  them 
about  daylighi.    One  officer,  with  thirty  men,  escaped 


136 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


across  tlje  lake;  but  the  others  were  either  killed 
or  captured;  and  the  line  of  barges  ascended  the 
river  near  the  opposite  shore,  escorted  by  the-  Indians 
on  the  banks,  and  guarded  by  detachments  in  each 
boat,  in  full  view  of  the  garrison,  and  %{  the  whole 
French  settlement. 

The  prisoners  were  compelled  to  navigate  the  bonts. 
As  the  first  batteaux  arrived  opposite  to  the  town, 
four  British  soldiers  determiner!  to  effect  their  libera- 
tion, or  to  perish  in  the  attei./  They  suddenly 
changed  the  course  of  the  boat,  a  i  by  loud  cries 
made  known  their  intention  to  the  crew  of  the  vessel. 
The  Indians  in  the  other  boats,  and  the  escort  on 
the  bank,  fired  upon  the  fugitives,  but  they  were  soon 
driven  from  their  positions  by  a  cannonade  from 
the  armed  schooner.  The  guard  on  board  this  boat 
leaped  overboard,  and  one  of  them  dragged  a  soldier 
with  him  into  the  water,  where  both  were  drowned. 
The  others  escaped  to  the  shore,  and  the  boat  reached 
the  vessel,  with  but  one  soldier  wounded.  I^est  the 
other  prisoners  might  escape,  they  were  immediately 
landed,  and  marched  up  the  shore,  to  the  lower  point 
of  Hog  Island,  where  they  crossed  the  river,  and 
were  immediately  put  to  death,  with  all  the  horrible 
accompaniments  of  savage  cruelty. 

During  the  month  of  June,  an  attempt  to  relieve 
the  garrison  proved  more  successful.  A  vessel  which 
had  been  sent  to  Niagara,  arrived  at  the  mouth  of 
the  river,  with  about  fifty  troops  on  board,  and  a 
supply  of  stores.      The  Indians  generally  left  the 


^k 


INDIANS    DISCOMFITED. 


137 


siege,  and  repaired  to  Fighting  Isljind,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  intercepting  her.  They  annoyed  the  English 
very  much  in  their  canoes,  till  the  latter  reached  the 
point  of  the  island,  where,  on  account  of  the  wind 
failing,  they  were  compelled  to  anchor. 

The  captain  had  concealed  his  men  in  the  hold, 
so  that  the  Indians  were  not  aware  of  the  strength 
of  the  crew.  Soon  after  dark,  they  embarked  in 
their  canoes,  and  proceeded*  to  board  the  vessel.  The 
men  were  silently  ordered  up,  and  took  their  stations 
at  the  guns.  The  Indians  were  suffered  to  approach 
close  to  the  vessel,  when  the  captain,  by  the  stroke 
of  a  hammer  upon  the  mast,  which  had  been  previ- 
ously concerted,  gave  the  signal  for  action.  An  im- 
mediate discharge  took  place,  and  the  Indians  pre- 
cipitately fled,  with  many  killed  and  wounded.  The 
next  morning,  the  vessel  dropped  down  to  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  where  she  remained  six  days,  waiting 
for  a  wind.  On  the  thirteenth,  she  succeeded  in  as- 
cending the  river,  and  reaching  the  fort  in  safety. 

Pontiac  felt  the  necessity  of  destroying  these  ves- 
sels, and  he  therefore  constructed  rafts  for  that  pur- 
pose. The  barns  of  some  of  the  inhabitants  were 
demolished,  and  the  materials  employed  in  this  work. 
Pitch  and  other  combustibles  were  added,  and  the 
whole  so  formed,  as  to  burn  Avith  rapidity  and  intens- 
ity. They  were  of  considerable  length,  and  were 
towed  to  a  proper  position,  above  the  vessels,  when 
fire  was  applied,  and  they  were  left  to  the  stream, 
m  the  expectation  that  they  would  be  carried  into 


1S8 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


contact  with  the  vessels,  and  immediately  set  fire  to 
rhem.  Twice  the  attempt  was  made,  without  success. 
The  British  were  aware  of  their  design,  and  took 
their  measures  accordingly.  Boats  were  constructed, 
and  anchored  with  chains  above  the  vessels,  and 
every  precaution  was  used  to  ward  off  the  blow. 
The  blazing  rafts  passed  harmlessly  by,  and  other 
incidents  soon  occurred  to  engage  the  attention  of 
the  Indians.*  * 

A  week  subsequent  to  this  date,  we  find  various 
letters  from  Detroit,  published  in  'Atlantic  papers, 
of  which  the  following  passages  are  extracts.  They 
will  furnish  the  reader  with  an  idea  of  the  true  sit- 
uation of  the  garrison  at  this  time,  much  better  than 
could  be  derived  from  any  description  of  our  own. 
The  first  is  dated,  Detroit,  July  6,  1763: 


"We  have  been  besieged  here  two  months,  by  six 
hundred  Indians.  We  have  been  upon  the  watch 
ifi^ht  and  day,  from  the  commanding  oflBcer  to  the 
lowest  soldier,  from  the  eighth  of  May,  and  have  not 
had  our  clothes  off,  nor  slept  all  night  since  it  began; 
and  shall  continue  so  till  we  have  a  reinforcement  up. 
We  then  hope  soon  to  give  a  good  account  of  the 
savages.  Their  camp  lies  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
from  the  fort;  and  that's  the  nearest  they  choose  to 
come  now.  For  the  first  two  or  three  day?  we  were 
attacked  by  three  or  four  hundred  of  them,  but  wo 


*  Di«>oarse  of  Oorernor  Cas«. 


LETTERS    FROM    DETROIT,    1763.      189 

gave  them  so  warm  a  reception  that  they  don't  care 
for  coming  to  see  us,  though  they  now  and  then  get 
hehind  a  house  or  garden,  and  fire  at  us  about  three 
or  four  hundred  yards'  distance.  The  day  before 
yesterday  we  killed  a  chief  and  three  others,  and 
wounded  some  more;  yesterday  went, up  with  our 
sloop,  and  battered  their  cabins  in  such  a  manner 
that  they  are  glad  to  keep  further  off." 

The  next  letter  is  under  date  of  the  9th : 


six 
itch 
the 
not 
;an; 
up. 
the 
mlf 

to 
rere 

wo 


"You  have  long  ago  heard  of  our  gloomy  situa- 
tion; but  the  storm  is  blown  over.  Was  it  not  very 
agreeable  to  hear  every  day  of  their  cutting,  carving, 
boiling,  and  eating  our  companions?  to  see,  every 
day,  dead  bodies  floating  down  the  river,  mangled  and 
disfigured?  But  Britons,  you  know,  never  shrink; 
we  always  appeared  gay  to  spite  the  rascals.  They 
boiled  and  eat  Sir  Robert  Devers;  and  w^e  are  in- 
formed by  Mr.  Pauly,  who  escaped  the  other  day 
from  one  of  the  Stations,  surprised  at  the  breaking 
out  of  the  war,  and  commanded  by  himself,  that  he 
had  seen  an  Indian  have  the  skin  of  Captain  Rob- 
ertson's arm  for  a  tobacco-pouch ! 

"Three  days  ago  a  party  of  us  went  to  demolish 
a  breast-work  they  had  made.  We  finished  our  work, 
and  were  returning  home ;  but  the  fort  espying  a 
party  of  Indians  coming  up,  as  if  they  intended  to 
tight,  we  were  ordered  back,  made  our  dispositions, 
and  advanced  Y"'  '  ly.     Our  front  was  fired  upon 


. 


140 


tIJ*E    AMONG    tnfi    INDIANS. 


warmly,  and  returned  the  fire  for  about  five  minutes, 
In  the  mean  tin\e,  Captain  Hopkins,  with  about  twenty 
men,  filed  oif  to  the  left,  and  about  twenty  French 
volunteers  filed  off  to  the  right,  and  got  between  them 
and  their  fires.  The  villains  immediately  fled,  and 
"we  returned,  as  was  prudent;  for  a  sentry,  whom  I 
had  placed,  informed  me  he  saw  a  body  of  them 
coming  down  from  the  woods,  and  our  party,  being 
but  about  eighty,  was  not  able  to  cope  with  their 
united  bands.  In  short,  we  beat  them  handsomely, 
and  yet  did  not  much  hart  to  them,  for  they  ran 
extremely  well.  We  only  killed  their  leader,  and 
wounded  three  others.  One  of  them  fired  at  me,  at 
the  distance  of  fifteen  or  twenty  paces,  but  I  sup- 
pose my  terrible  visage  made  him  tremble.  I  think 
I  shot  him."    - 


This  "leader"  was,  according  to  some  accounts,  an 
Ottawa  chief;  according  to  others,  the  son  of  a  chief. 
At  all  events,  he  was  a  popular  if  not  an  important 
man:  and  his  death  was  severely  revenged  by  one 
of  his  relatives,  in  the  massacre  of  Major  Campbell. 
That  gentleman  had  been  detained  a  prisoner  ever 
since  the  proposal  of  a '  capitulation,  together  with 
his  friend  M'Dougall.  The  latter  escaped,  a  day  or 
two  before  the  skirmish;  but  his  unfortunate  com- 
rade was  tomahawked  by  the  infuriated*  savage.  One 
account  says,  "they  boiled  his  heart  and  ate  it,  and 
made  a  pouch  of  the  skin  of  his  arms!"  The  brutal 
assassin  fled  to  Saginaw,  apprehensive  of  the  ven- 


ABLOODY    ENGAGEMENT. 


141 


geance  of  Pontiac;  and  it  is  but  justice  to  the  mem- 
ory of  that  chieftain  to  say,  that  he  was  indignant  at 
the  atrocious  act,  and  used  every  possible  exertion 
to  apprehend  the  murderer. 

The  reinforcement  mentioned  above,  as  expected, 
arrived  on  the  26th  of  July.  It  was  a  detachment 
of  three  hundred  regular  troops.  Arrangements  were 
made,  the  same  evening,  for  an  attack  on  the  Indian 
camp.  But,  by  some  unknown  means,  Pontiac  ob- 
tained information  of  the  design;  and  he  not  only 
removed  the  women  and  children  from  his  camp,  but 
peasonably  stationed  two  strong   parties  in   ambus- 

• 

cades,  where  they  were  protected  by  pickets  and  cord- 
wood,  and  concealed  by  the  high  grass.  Three  hun- 
dred men  left  the  fort,  about  an  hour  before  day,  and 
marched  rapidly  up  the  bank.  They  were  suflfered 
to  reach  the  bridge  over  Bloody  Run,  and  to  proceed 
about  half-way  across  it,  before  the  slightest  move- 
ment indicated  that  the  enemy  was  aware  of  their 
approach.  Suddenly  a  volley  of  musketry  was  poured 
in  upon  the  troops;  the  commander  fell  at  the  first 
discharge,  and  they  were  thrown  into  instant  confu- 
sion. A  retreat  was,  with  some  difficulty,  effected  by 
driving  the  Indians  from  all  their  positions  at  the 
bayonet's  point,  but  the  English  lost  seventy  men 
killed,  and  forty  wounded. 

This  was  the  last  important  event  attending  the 
prosecution  of  the  siege.  A  modern  author  observes, 
that  Pontiac  relaxed  in  his  efforts,  that  the  Indians 
Boon  began  to  depart  for  their  wintering-grounds,  and 


142 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


that  the  various  bands,  as  they  arrived  in  the  spring, 
professed  their  desire  for  peace.  Such  seems  to  have 
been  the  case  at  a  much  earlier  date ;  for  we  find  it 
stated,  under  date  of  the  18th  of  August,  1763,  that 
"the  Hurons,  who  begin  tc  be  wearied  of  the  war," 
had  brought  in  and  given  up  eight  prisoners.  The 
writer  adds,  that  "the  Hurons  and  Pottawatamies, 
who  were  partly  forced  into  the  war  by  the  menaces 
of  the  Ottawas,  begin  to  withdraw."  Pontiac  had 
been  so  confident  of  success  as  to  have  made  some 
arrangements,  it  is  said,  for  dividing  the  conquered 
territory  with  the  French ;  and  several  Indians  planted, 
fields  of  corn.  But  his  warriors  grew  weary  of  the 
siege,  and  his  army  was,  at  this  time,  reduced  to 
about  five  hundred. 

Where  or  how  he  passed  the  winter,  we  are  not 
told.  But  his  movements  were  still  watched  with 
anxiety,  and  the  garrison  at  Detroit,  especially,  seem 
not  to  have  thought  themselves  safe  from  his  opera- 
tions from  day  to  day.  "  We  have  lately  been  very 
busy,"  says  a  respectable  writer,  under  date  of  De- 
cember 3,  1763,  "  in  providing  abundance  of  wheat, 
flour,  Indian  corn,  and  peas,  from  the  country,  in 
which  we  have  so  far  succeeded  as  not  to  be  in  dan- 
ger of  being  starved  out."  It  further  appears  that 
detachments  of  the  enemy  were  still  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. "  The  approach  of  Major  Wilkins's  party  had 
a  very  good  effect;  the  enemy  moved  farther  off. 
'  Tis  said  that  Pontiac  and  his  tribe  have  gone  to  the 
Mississippi,  but  we  dont  believe  it."     Again:  "Th« 


A    GRAND    COUNCIL. 


143 


Wyandotts,  of  Sandusky,  are  much  animated  againai 
us;  they  have  been  reinforced  lately  by  many  vil- 
lains from  all  the  nations  concerned  iti  the  war."  Sc 
late  as  March  25th,  we  are  told  that  '•  about  twelve 
days  ago,  several  scalping-parties  of  the  Pottawata- 
mies  came  to  the  settlement,  etc.  We  now  sleep  in 
our  clothes,  expecting  an  alarm  every  night.'' 

But  the  reign  of  terror  maintained  by  the  move- 
ments of  Pontiac  was  drawing  to  its  close.  The 
power  of  the  civilized  party  was  too  much  ibr  a  com- 
bination like  his.  General  Bradstreet,  with  a  force 
of  three  thousand  men,  proceeded  to  Niagara  early 
in  the  summer  of  1764,  on* his  way  to  the  north- 
west. Here  a  grand  council  was  held,  at  which  nearly 
two  thousand  Indians  attended.  One  account  says 
there  were  representatives  present  from  twenty-two 
different  tribes,  including  eleven  of  the  western — a 
^lct  strikingly  indicating  the  immense  train  of  oper- 
ations managed  by  the  influence  of  Pontiac.  Many 
of  his  best  allies  had  now  deserted  the  chieftain.  The 
traveler,  Henry,  who  was  under  Bradstrcet's  com- 
mand, mentions  that  he  was  himself  appointed  leader 
of  ninety-six  ChippcATas  of  the  Sault  de  Sainte  Marie, 
and  other  savages,  under  the  name  of  the  Indian  Bat- 
tallion;  "Me,"  he  adds,  "whose  best  hope  it  had. 
very  lately,  been  to  live  through  their  forbearance." 
It  Dught  to  be  observed,  however,  in  justice  to  the  men 
who  were  thus  led  against  their  own  countrvmen  and 
kinsmen,  that  by  the  time  the  army  reached  Fort  Erie, 
their  number  was  reduced  t:>  fourteen  by  desertion. 


144 


LIFE    A  MONO    THE    INDIANS. 


On  tlic  arrival  of  the  army  at  Detroit,  which  they 
reached  without  opposition,  all  the  tribes  in  that  re- 
gion came  in  and  concluded  a  peace,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  Delawares  and  Shawnees.  But  Pontiac 
was  no  more  seen.  He  not  only  took  no  part  in  the 
pending  negotiation,  but  abandoned  the  country,  and 
repaired  to  the  Illinois. 

We  find  no  authority  for  the  assertion  of  Carver, 
that  henceforward  he  laid  aside  his  animosity  for  the 
English;  and  still  less,  that  "to  reward  this  new 
attachment,  Government  allowed  him  a  handsome  pen- 
sion." Even  this  writer  admits  that  his  conduct  "at 
length  grew  suspicious.'/  Rogers,  on  the  other  hand, 
who  had  good  opportunities  of  knowing  the  facts, 
says,  that  while  "some  of  the  Indians  left  him,  and 
by  his  consent  made  a  separate  pe.ace,  he  would  not 
he  personally  concerned  in  it,  saying,  that  when  h^ 
made  a  peace,  it  should  be  such  a  one  as  would  be 
useful  and  honorable  to  himself,  and  to  the  King 
of  Great  Britain.  But  he  has  not  as  yet  proposed  his 
terms. ''^'^ 

This  account  bears  manifest  marks  of  correctness. 
It  agrees  with  many  other  illustrations  of  a  mag- 
nanimity which  might  have  made  Pontiac  a  fit  coni- 
radp  for  the  knights  of  the  middle  ages.  But  con- 
firmation of  it  may  be  found  elsewhere.  It  was  the 
common  belief  of  the  times,  that  he  had  gone  among 
the  Illinois,  with  a  view  of  there  holding  himself  iu 

*R«g.3rtt's  Account,  page  24i 


\ 


PONTIAC'S    POSITION. 


145 


renuiness  for  whatever  might  happen  to  the  benefit 
of  the  great  cause  for  which  he  was  resolved  to  live 
and  die;  and  probably,  also,  to  use  active  measures 
as  fast  and  as  far  as  might  be  advisable.  The  fol- 
lowing passage  occurs  in  an  authentic  letter  from 
Detroit,  dated  May  19,  1765: 

"Pontiac  is  now  raising  the  St.  Joseph  Indians,  the 
Miamics,  the  Mascontins,  the  Ouiattenons,  the  Pians, 
and  the  Illinois,  to  come  tc  this  place  the  beginning 
of  next  month,  to  make  what  effort  they  can  against 
us;  for  which  purpose  he  has  procured  a  large  belt 
for  each  nation,  and  one  larger  than  the  rest  for  a 
''hatchet'  for  the  whole.  They  are  to  be  joined  by 
some  of  the  northern  Indians,  as  is  reported.  This, 
-ley  say,  is  to  be  an  undertaking  of  their  own,  as 
they  are  not  to  have  any  assistance  from  the  French. 
*  *  When  Pontiac  left  the  Miamies,  hp  told  them 
to  remain  quiet  till  he  came  back ;  it  should  then  be 
*all  war,  or  all  peace.'  *  *  I  make  no  doubt  of 
their  intention  to  perform  what  we  have  heard  of, 
though  I  don't  think  it  will  come  to  any  head.  I 
am  likewise  well  convinced,  if  Pontiac  he  made  to 
believe  he  would  be  well  received  at  this  place,  he  would 
desist  from  any  intention  he  may  have;  but  it  will  be 
impossible  to  convince  him  of  that,  while  there  are 
such  a  number  of  traitorous  villains  about  him.  You 
can't  imagine  what  most  infamous  lies  they  teli." 

It  appears  from  this  testimony,  that  Pontiac  had 

at  this  period  re-engaged  in  his  plan  of  combination. 

It  would  also  appear,  that  he  was  instigated  by  some 

10 


mmmmmm 


146 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


i 

X'' 


of  the  French;  for  it  is  believed  that  only  individ' 
uah  among  them  were  guilty  of  the  practices  alleged. 
Those  at  Detroit  conducted  themselves  amicably,  even 
during  the  war;  and  some  of  them,  we  have  seen, 
volunteered  to  fight  against  the  Indians.  Still,  where 
Pontiac  now  was,  there  would  be  the  best  possible 
opportunity  of  exerting  a  sinister  influence  over  him, 
there  being  many  Frenchmen  among  the  Illinois,  and 
they  not  of  the  most  exemplary  character  in  all  cases. 
On  the  whole,  it  seems  to  us  probable,  that  while  the 
last-mentioned  combination  was  really  "  an  under- 
taking of  his  own,"  it  might  have  been  checked  at 
any  moment,  and  perhaps  never  would  have  been 
commenced,  had  not  Pontiac  been  renewedly  and 
repeatedly  prejudiced  against  the  English  interest  by 
the  artifice  of  some  of  the  French,  and  perhaps  some 
of  the  Indians.  However  his  principles  in  regard  to 
that  subject  might  remain  unchanged,  no  abstract 
inducement,  .^  )  think,  would  have  urged  him  to  his 
present  measures  under  the  circumstances  to  which 
he  was  now  reduced.  But,  be  that  as  it  may,  the 
principles  themselves  need  not  be  doubted;  nor  can 
we  forbear  admiring  the  energy  of  the  man  in  pur- 
suing the  exemplification  and  vindication  of  them  in 
practice.  His  exertions  grew  only  the  more  daring, 
as  his  prospects  became  more  desperate. 

But  his  death  at  length  ended  at  once  his  disap- 
pointments and  hopes,  together  with  the  fears  of  his 
enemies.  This  event  is  supposed  to  have  taken  place 
in  1767.    He  was  assassinated,   at  a  council   held 


DEATH    OF    PONTIAC. 


147 


[sap- 

his 

^lace 

held 


among  the  Illinois,  by  an  Indian  of  the  Peoria  tribe. 
Carver  says,  that  "either  commissioned  by  one  rf 
the  English  Governors,  or  instigated  by  the  love  ho 
bore  the  English  nation,  the  savage  attended  him  as 
a  spy,  and  being  convinced  from  the  speech  Pontiac 
made  in  the  council,  that  he  still  retained  his  former 
prejudices  against  tliose  for  tvhom  he  now  professed  a 
friendship,  he  plunged  his  knife  into  his  heart,  as 
soon  as  he  had  done  speaking,  and  laid  him  dead  on 
the  spot." 

As  to  what  is  here  said  of  professed  friendship, 
the  writer  evidently  alludes  to  his  own  previous  as- 
sertion, which  we  have  shoAn  to  be  unfounded,  and 
for  which  we  are  still  unable  to  perceive  the  slightest 
grounds.  Still,  several  of  these  suppositions,  though 
only  to  be  received  a.-  such,  are  probably  true.  There 
is  but  little  doubt  that  Pontiac  continued  firm  in  his 
original  principles  and  purpose;  that  he  expressed 
himself  without  disguise ;  that  he  endeavored  to  influ- 
ence, and  did  influence,  a  large  number  of  his  coun- 
trymen; and  that  the  Peoria  savage,  whether  a  per- 
sonal enemy,  or  a  "  spy  " — or,  what  is  most  probable, 
both,  (a  spy  because  an  enemy) — did  assassinate  him 
with  the  expectation,  to  say  the  le^-'^t,  of  doing  an 
acceptable  service  to  some  foreign  party,  and  a  lucra- 
tive one  for  himself.  We  need  not  assert  that  he 
was  "  commissioned  by  an  English  Governor;"  Pon 
tiac  was  an  indefatigable  and  powerful  man,  and  a 
dangerous  foe  to  the  English.  He  was  in  a  situation 
to  make  enemies   among   his  countrymen,  and   the 


i 


148  LIFE    ..  MONG    THE    I  VIDIANS. 

f 

English  were  generally  in  a  situation  and  disposition 
to  avail  themselves  of  that  circumstance. 

From  the  manner  of  life  adopted  by  the  chieftaii. 
subsequent  to  the  treaty  at  Detroit,  it  might  be  in- 
ferred, perhaps,  that  he  became  alienated  from  th« 
northern  tribes,  including  his  own,  who  had  been  his 
best  friends,  or  that  they  became  alienated  from  him, 
We  are  inclined  to  believe,  on  the  contrary,  thai 
their  negotiations  took  place  "  by  his  consent,"  as 
has  been  stated  heretofore ;  and  that  he  removed 
southward,  as  well  with  a  view  to  their  good — as 
regarded  the  friendship  of  the  English — as,  at  the 
same  time,  for  the  purpose  of  recommencing  his  OAvn 
operations  upon  a  new  theater,  and  with  fresh  actors. 
He  would  thereby  gain  neAv  influence,  while  he  would 
lose  little  or  none  of  the  old. 

This  supposition  is  confirmed  by  the  well-authen- 
ticated fact  that  the  Ottawas,  the  Chippewas,  and 
the  Pottawatamies — some  writers  add  the  Sacs  and 
Foxes — made  common  cause  in  tie  revenge  of  his 
death.  Following  that  principle  Avith  the  customary 
Indian  latitude  of  application,  they  made  war  upon 
the  Peoria  tribe.  The  latter  associated  with  them- 
selves, in  defense,  the  Kaskasl^ias,  the  Cahokias,  and 
the  Illinois ;  but  to  no  purpose.  The  two  latter  tribes 
are  believed  to  have  been  wholly  exterminated,  and 
of  the  former  only  a  few  families  remain.  "  The 
memory  of  the  great  OttaAva  chief,"  says  a  distin- 
guished historian  of  that  section,  "is  yet  held  in 
reverence  among  his  countrymen;  and  Avhatever   is 


1»0NTIAC*S    INFLtTENCB. 


140 


the  fate  that  may  await  them,  his  name  and  deeds 
will  live  in  their  traditionary  narratives,  increasing 
in  interest  as  they  increase  in  years." 

The  astonishing  influence  exerted  by  this  remark- 
able man,  so  long  as  he  lived,  may  be  inferred  from 
the  period  of  peace  which  succeeded  his  death,  and 
the  punishment  of  his  murderer,  still  more  forcibly 
than  from  any  circumstances  we  have  noticed.  It 
has  been  seen,  that  more  than  twenty  tribes,  who 
had  engaged  in  his  combination,  appeared  at  the 
Niagara  Council.  His  movements  are  believed  to 
have  been  felt  as  far  east  as  among  the  Micmacks 
of  Kova  Scotia.  As  far  south  as  Virginia,  th  ;y  were 
not  only  perceptible,  but  formidable,  in  the  highest 
degree. 


•> 


ij" 


1 


150 


LIFE 


AMONG 


THE    INDIANS. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

BALL  OF  MACKINAW  AND  CAPTIVITY  OF  MR 

HENRY. 

The  only  reliable  account  of  the  capture  of  Mack- 
inaw, by  the  Indians,  in  old  Pontiac's  war,  was  that 
given  by  Mr.  Henry,  in  his  travels,  which  were  pub- 
lished in  New  York,  in  1809,  and  preserved  by  Mr. 
Schoolcraft.  Mr.  Henry  was  an  Indian  trader,  and 
happened  to  be  at  Mackinaw  at  the  time;  conse- 
quently, he  shared  in  the  calamities  of  the  scene. 
We  shall  give  his  own  account  of  the  capture,  as 
well  as  of  his  suLot quent  captivity. 

When  I  reached  Mackinaw,  says  he,  I  found  sev- 
eral other  traders,  who  had  arrived  before  me,  from 
diiferent  parts  of  the  country,  and  who,  in  general, 
declared  the  disposition  of  the  Indians  to  be  hostile 
to  the  English,  and  even  apprehended  some  attack. 
M.  Laurent  Duxjharme  distinctly  informed  Major  Eth- 
erington  that  a  plan  was  absolutely  conceived  for 
destroying  him,  his  garrison,  and  all  the  English  in 
the  upper  country;  but  the  commandant  believing 
this  and  other  reports  to  be  without  foundation,  pro- 
ceeding only  from  idle  or  ill-disposed  persons,  and 
of  a  tendency  to  do  mischief,  expressed  much  diw- 
pleasure  against   M.  Ducharme,  and   threat<ined   to 


I::  ■*;-*. 


KTHERlNGtON  —  WAWATAM. 


151 


to 


8etid  ttie  next  person  who  should  bring  a  story  of  tho 
same  kind,  a  prisoner  to  Detroit. 

The  garrison,  at  this  time,  consisted  of  ninety 
privates,  two  subalterns,  and  the  commandant;  and 
the  English  merchants  at  the  fort  were  four  in  num- 
ber. Thus  strong,  few  entertained  anxiety  concern- 
ing the  Indians,  who  had  no  weapons  but  small  arms. 

Meanwhile,  the  Indians,  from  every  quarter,  were 
daily  assembling  in  unusual  numbers,  but  with  every 
appearance  of  friendship,  frequenting  the  fort,  and 
disposing  of  their  peltries  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
dissipate  almost  every  one's  fears.  For  myself,  on 
one  occasion,  I  took  the  liberty  of  observing  to  Major 
Etherington  that,  in  my  judgment,  no  confidence  ought 
to  be  placed  in  thera,  and  that  I  was  informed  no 
less  than  four  hundred  lav  around  the  fort. 

In  return  the  Major  only  rallied  me  on  my  timid- 
ity ;  and  it  is  to  be  confessed  that  if  this  officer  neg- 
lected admonition  on  his  part,  so  did  I  on  mine. 
Shortly  after  my  first  arrival  at  Mackinaw  in  the 
preceding  year,  a  Chippewa,  named  Wawatam,  began 
to  come  frequently  to  my  house,  betraying  in  his 
demeanor  strong  marks  of  personal  regard.  After 
this  had  continued  some  tim^,  he  came,  on  a  certain 
day,  bringing  with  him  his  whole  family,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  a  large  present,  consisting  of  skins,  sugar, 
and  dried  meat.  Having  had  these  in  a  heap,  he 
commenced  a  speech,  in  which  he  informed  me  that, 
some  years  before,  he  had  observed  a  fast,  devoting 
himself,  according  to  the  custom  of  bis  nation,  to 


'-'^''^'^^'^•v^'m'j^^^m^mim^f:!!^^ 


mm 


152 


LIFE    AMONG    THB    INDIANS. 


solitude,  and  to  the  mortification  of  b  .s  body,  in  tlie 
hope  to  obtain,  from  the  Great  Spirit,  protection 
through  all  his  days;  that  on  this  occasion  he  had 
dreamed  of  adopting  an  Englishman  as  his  son, 
brother,  and  friend;  th.nt,  from  the  moment  in  which 
he  first  beheld  me,  he  had  recognized  me  as  the  per- 
son whom  the  Great  Spirit  had  been  pleased  to  point 
out  to  him  for  a  brother ;  that  he  hoped  that  I  would 
not  refuse  his  present;  and  that  he  should  forever 
regard  me  as  one  of  his  family. 

I  could  not  do  otherwise  than  accept  the  present, 
and  declare  my  willingness  to  have  so  good  a  man 
as  this  appeared  to  be  for  my  friend  and  brother.  I 
ofiered  a  present  in  return  for  that  which  I  had  re- 
ceived, which  Wawatam  accepted,  and  then,  thanking 
me  for  the  favor  which  he  said  that  I  had  rendered 
him,  he  left  me,  and  soon  after  set  out  on  his  winter's 
hunt. 

Twelve  months  had  now  elapsed  since  the  occur- 
rence of  this  incident,  and  I  had  almost  forgotten  the 
person  of  my  brother,  when  on  the  second  day  of 
June,  Wawatam  came  again  to  my  house,  in  a  temper 
of  mind  visibly  melancholy  and  thoughtful.  He  told 
me  that  he  had  just*  returned  from  his  wintering' 
ground^  and  I  asked  after  his  health;  but  without 
answering  my  question,  he  went  on  to  say,  that  he 
was  sorry  to  find  me  returned  from  the  Sault;  that 
he  intended  to  proceed  to  that  place  himself,  imme- 
diately after  his  arrival  at  Mackinaw;  and  that  he 
wi^ed  me  to  go  there  along  with  him  and  his  family 


WARNING    OP   WAWATAM. 


158 


jur- 

the 

of 

\per 

Itold 

ing- 

lOUt 

he 
[that 
ime- 
he 

bily 


the  next  morning.  To  all  this  he  joined  an  inquiry, 
whether  or  not  the  commandant  had  heard  bad  news, 
adding  that  during  the  winter  he  had  himself  been 
frequently  disturbed  with  the  noise  of  evil  bii'ds;  and 
further  suggesting  that  there  were  numerous  Indians 
near  the  fort,  many  of  whom  had  never  shown  them- 
selves within  it.  Wawatam  was  ajbout  forty-five  years 
of  age,  of  an  excellent  character  among  his  nation, 
and  a  chief. 

Referring  much  of  what  he  heard  to  the  pecul- 
iarities of  the  Indian  character,  I  did  not  pay  all  the 
attention  which  they  will  be  found  to  have  deserved 
to  the  entreaties  and  remarks  of  my  visitor.  I  an- 
swered that  I  could  not  think  of  going  to  the  Sault 
so  soon  as  the  next  morning,  but  would  follow  him 
there  after  the  arrival  of  my  clerks.  Finding  him- 
self unable  to  prevail  with  me,  he  withdrew  for  that 
day;  but  early  next  morning  he  came  again,  bringing 
with  him  his  wife,  and  a  present  of  dried  meat.  At 
this  interview,  after  stating  that  he  had  several  packs 
of  beaver,  for  Avhich  he  intended  to  deal  with  me,  he 
expressed  a  second  time  his  apprehensions,  from  the 
numerous  Indians  who  were  around  the  fort,  and 
earnestly  pressed  me  to  conscit  to  an  immediate  de- 
parture for  the  Sault.  As  a  reason  for  this  particu- 
lar request,  he  assured  me  chat  all  the  Indians  pro- 
posed to  come  in  a  body,  that  day,  to  the  fort,  to 
demand  liquor  of  the  commandant,  and  that  he  wished 
me  to  be  gone  before  they  should  grow  intoxicated,    ; 

I  had  made,  at  the  period  to  which  I  am  now 


t54 


tifil    AMOl^tf    IHBI    ilJfilAi^g. 


referring,  so  much  progress  in  the  language  in  which 
Wawatam  addressed  me,  as  to  be  able  to  hold  an 
ordinary  conversation  in  it;  but  the  Indian  manner 
of  speech  is  so  extravagantly  figurative,  that  it  is 
only  for  a  perfect  master  to  follow  and  comprehend 
it  entirely.  Had  I  been  further  advanced  in  this 
respect,  I  think  that  I  should  have  gathered  so  much 
information  from  this  my  friendly  monitor,  as  would 
have  put  me  into  possession  of  the  design  of  the 
enemy,  and  enabled  me  to  save,  as  well  others  as  my- 
self. As  it  was,  it  unfortunately  happened  that  I 
turned  a  deaf  ear  to  every  thing,  leaving  Wawatam 
and  his  wife,  after  long  and  patient,  but  ineffectual 
efforts,  to  depart  alone,  with  dejected  countenances, 
and  not  before  they  had  each  let  fall  some  tears. 

In  the  course  of  the  same  day,  I  observed  that  the 
Indians  came  in  great  numbers  into  the  fort,  purchas- 
ing tomahawks — small  axes  of  one  pound  weight — 
and  frequently  desiring  to  see  silver  arm-bands,  and 
other  valuable  ornaments,  of  which  I  had  a  large 
quantity  for  sale.  The  ornaments,  however,  they  in 
no  instance  purchased,  but,  after  turning  them  over, 
left  them,  saying  that  they  would  call  again  the  next 
day.  Their  motive,  as  it  afterward  appeared,  was  no 
other  than  the  very  artful  one  of  discovering,  by 
requesting  to  see  them,  the  particular  places  of  their 
deposit,  so  that  they  might  lay  their  hands  on  them 
in  the  moment  of  pillage  with  the  greater  certainty 
and  dispatch. 

At  night  I  turned  in  my  mind  the  visits  of  Wam^ 


INDIAN    STRATAQBM. 


155 


tam;  but,  though  they  were  calculated  to  excite  un- 
easiness, nothing  induced  me  to  believe  that  serious 
mischief  was  at  hand. 

The  following  day,  being  the  fourth  of  June,  was 
the  King's  birthday.  A  Chippewa  came  to  tell  me 
that  his  nation  was  going  to  play  at  haggatiway 
with  the  Sacs  or  Saakies,  another  Indian  nation, 
for  a  high  wager.  He  invited  me  to  witness  the 
sport,  adding  that  the  commandant  was  to  be  there, 
and  would  bet  on  the  side  of  the  Chippewas.  In 
consequence  of  this  information,  I  Avent  to  the  com- 
mandant, and  expostulated  with  him  a  little,  repre- 
senting that  the  Indians  might  possibly  have  some 
sinister  end  in  view;  but  the  commandant  only  smiled 
at  my  suspicions. 

Baggatiway,  called  by  the  Canadians  le  jue  de  la 
crosse,  is  played  with  a  bat  and  ball.  The  bat  is  about 
four  feet  in  length,  curved,  and  terminating  in  a  sort 
of  racket.  Two  posts  are  planted  in  the  ground,  at 
a  considerable  distance  from  each  other,  as  a  mile  or 
more.  Each  party  has  its  post,  and  the  game  con- 
sists in  throwing  the  ball  up  to  the  post  of  the  ad- 
versary. The  ball  at  the  beginning  is  placed  in  the 
middle  of  the  course,  and  each  party  endeavors  as 
well  to  throw  the  ball  out  of  the  direction  of  its  own 
post,  as  into  that  of  the  adversary's. 

I  did  not  go  myself  to  see  the  match  which  was 
now  to  be  played  without  the  fort,  because  there 
being  a  canoe  prepared  to  depart,  on  the  follow- 
ing day,  for  Montreal,  I  employed  myself  in  writing 


156 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    ISDlAI^S. 


letters  to  my  friends ;  and  even  when  a  fellow-trader, 
Mr.  Tracy,  happened  to  call  upon  rae,  saying  that 
another  canoe  had  just  arrived  from  Detroit,  and 
proposing  that  I  should  go  with  him  to  the  beach, 
to  inquire  the  news,  it  so  happened  that  I  still  re- 
mained to  finish  my  letters ;  promising  to  follow  Mr. 
Tracy  in  the  course  of  a  few  minutes.  Mr.  Tracy 
had  not  gone  more  than  twenty  paces  from  the  door, 
when  I  heard  an  Indian  war-cry,  and  a  noise  of  gen- 
eral confusion. 

Going  instantly  to  my  window,  I  saw  a  crowd  of 
Indians  within  the  fort,  furiously  cutting  down  and 
scalping  every  Englishman  they  found.  In  particu- 
lar, I  witnessed  the  fate  of  Lieutenant  Jemette. 

I  had,  in  the  room  in  which  I  was,  a  fowling-piece, 
loaded  with  swan-shot.  This  I  immediately  seized, 
and  held  it  for  a  few  minutes,  waiting  to  hear  the 
drum  beat  to  arms.  In  this  dreadful  interval  I  saw 
several  of  my  countrymen  fall,  and  more  than  one 
struggling  between  the  knees  of  an  Indian,  who, 
holding  him  in  this  manner,  scalped  him  while  yet 
living. 

At  length,  disappointed  in  the  hope  of  seeing  re- 
sistance made  to  the  enemy,  and  sensible,  of  course, 
that  no  effort  of  my  own  unassisted  arm  could  avail 
against  four  hundred  Indians,  I  thought  only  of  seek- 
ing shelter.  Amid  the  slaughter  which  was  raging, 
I  observed  many  of  the  Canadian  inhabitants  of  the 
fort  calmly  looking  on,  neither  opposing  the  Indians 
nor  suflering  injury;   and  from  this  circumstance  1 


HORRIBLE    BUTCHERY. 


167 


re- 
Irse, 
Ivail 

jek- 

ling, 

the 

ians 

:e  I 


conceived  a  hope  of  finding  a  place  of  security  in 
their  houses. 

Between  the  yard  door  of  my  own  house  and  that 
of  M.  Langlade,  my  next  neighbor,  there  was  only 
a  low  fence,  over  which  I  easily  climbed.  At  my 
entrance,  I  found  the  whole  family  at  the  windows, 
gazing  at  the  scene  of  blood  before  them.  I  ad- 
dressed myself  immediately  to  M.  Langlade,  begging 
that  he  would  put  me  into  some  place  of  safety,  till 
the  heat  of  the  aiViiir  should  be  over;  an  act  of  charity 
by  which  he  might  perhaps  preserve  me  from  the 
general  massacre;  but  while  I  uttered  my  petition, 
M.  Langlade,  who  had  looked  for  a  moment  at  me, 
turned  again  to  the  window,  shrugging  his  shoulders, 
and  intimating  that  he  could  do  nothing  for  me* 
"  Que  voudriez-vous  que  j^en  ferai^f^ 

This  Avas  a  moment  for  despair;  but  the  next,  a 
Pani  woman,*  a  slave  of  M.  Langlade's,  beckoned 
to  me  to  follow  her.  She  brought  me  to  a  door, 
which  she  opened,  desiring  me  to  enter,  and  telling 
me  that  it  led  to  the  garret,  where  I  must  go  and 
conceal  myself.  I  joyfully  obeyed  her  directions; 
and  she,  having  followed  me  up  to  the  garret-door, 
locked  it  after  me,  and,  witli  great  presence  of  mind, 
took  away  the  key. 

This  shelter  obtained,  if  shelter  I  could  hope  to 
find  it,  I  Avas  naturally  anxious  to  know  what  might 
still  be  passing  without.     Through  an  aperture,  which 

*  The  Tuuics  are  an  Indian  nation  of  tlic  suuth. 


illl 


158 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


afforded  me  a  view  of  the  area  of  the  fort,  I  beheld 
in  shapes  the  foulest  and  most  terrible,  the  feroeioiit; 
triumphs  of  barbarian  conquerors.  The  dead  were 
scalped  and  mangled;  the  trying  were  writhing  and 
filirieking  under  the  unsatiated  knife  and  tomahawk; 
and  from  the  bodies  of  some,  ripped  open,  their  sav- 
age butchers  were  drinking  the  blood,  scooped  up  in 
the  hollow  of  joined  hands,  and  quaffed  amid  shout'^ 
of  rage  and  victory.  I  was  shaken  not  only  witli 
horror,  but  with  fear.  The  sufferings  which  I  wit- 
nessed, I  seemed  on  the  point  of  experiencing.  No 
long  time  elapsed  before,  every  one  being  destroyed 
who  could  be  found,  there  was  a  general  cry  of  "All 
is  finished!"  At  the  same  instant,  I  heard  some  of 
the  Indians  enter  the  house  in  which  I  was. 

The  garret  was  separated  from  the  room  below 
only  by  a  layer  of  single  boards,  at  once  the  flooring 
of  the  one,  and  the  ceiling  of  the  other.  I  could 
therefore  hear  every  thing  that  passed;  and  the  Indi- 
ans no  sooner  came  in  than  they  inquired  whether  or 
not  any  Englishmen  were  in  the  house.  M.  Langlade 
replied  tha.t  "he  could  not  say;  he  did  not  know  of 
any" — answers  in  which  he  did  not  exceed  the  truth; 
for  the  Pani  woman  had  not  only  hidden  me  by 
stealth,  but  kept  my  secret  and  her  own.  M.  Lang- 
lade was,  therefore,  as  I  presume,  as  far  from  a  wish 
to  destroy  me  as  he  was  careless  about  saving  me, 
when  he  added  to  these  answers,  that  "they  might 
examine  for  themselves,  and  would  soon  be  satisfied 
as  to  the  object  of  their  question,"     Saying  this,  he 


A    THRILLING    MOMENT, 


159 


of 
[th; 

by 

|ng- 
rish 

Ine, 

[ght 

ied 

be 


i 


In'ought  them  to  the  garret-door,  within  which  I  was 
concealed. 

The  state  of  my  mind  will  be  imagined.  Arrived 
at  the  door,  some  delay  was  occasioned  by  the  ab- 
sence of  the  key,  and  a  few  moments  were  thus 
allowed  me  in  which  to  look  around  for  a  hiding- 
place.  In  one  corner  of  the  garret  was  a  heap  of 
those  vessels  of  birch  bark,  used  in  maple  sugar 
making. 

The  door  was  unlocked  and  opened,  and  the  In- 
dians ascending  the  stairs,  before  I  had  completely 
crept  into  a  small  opening  which  presented  itself  at 
one  end  of  the  heap.  An  iustant  after,  four  Indians 
entered  the  room,  all  armed  with  tomahawks,  and 
all  besmeared  with  blood  upon  every  part  of  their 
bo'l'e;;. 

The  die  appeared  to  be  cast.  I  could  scarcely 
breathe;  but  I  thought  the  throbbing  of  my  heart 
occasioned  a  noise  loud  enough  to  betray  me.  The 
Indians  walked  in  every  direction  about  the  garret, 
and  one  of  them  approached  me  so  closely  that  at 
a  particular  moment,  had  he  put  forth  his  hand,  he 
must  have  touched  me.  Still  I  remained  undiscov- 
ered; a  circumstance  to  which  the  dark  (^olor  of  my 
clothes,  and  the  want  of  light  in  the  room,  which  had 
no  window,  and  in  the  corner  in  which  I  was,  must 
have  contributed.  In  a  word,  after  taking  several 
turns  in  the  room,  during  Avhich  they  told  M.  Lang- 
lade how  many  they  had  killed,  and  how  many  scalps 
they  had  taken,  they  returned  down  stairs,  and  J, 


i 


nun 


■i 


160 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


with  sensations  not  to  be  expressed,  heard  the  door, 
wiv^h  was  the  barrier  between  me  and  my  fate,  locked 
for  the  second  time.  , 

There  was  a  feather-bed  on  the  floor;  and  on  this, 
exhausted  as  I  was  by  the  agitation  of  my  mind,  I 
threw  myself  down  and  fell  asleep.  In  this  state  I 
remained  till  the  dusk  of  the  evening,  when  I  was 
awakened  by  a  second  opening  of  the  door.  The 
person  that  now  entered  was  M.  Langlade's  wife,  who 
was  much  surprised  at  finding  me,  but  advised  me  aot 
to  be  uneasy,  observing  that  the  Indians  had  killed 
most  of  th.  English,  but  that  she  hoped  I  might 
myself  escape.  A  shower  of  rain  having  begun  to 
fa]!,  she  had  come  to  stop  a  hole  in  the  roof.  On 
her  going  away,  I  begged  her  to  send  me  a  little 
water  to  drink,  which  she  did. 

As  night  was  now  advancing,  I  continued  to  lie  on 
the  bed,  ruminatmg  on  my  condition,  but  unable  \o 
discover  a  resource  from  which  I  could  hope  for  life. 
A  flight  to  Detioit  had  no  probable  chance  of  success. 
The  distance  f.om  Mackinaw  Avas  full  four  hundred 
miles;  I  Avas  without  provisions;  and  the  whole  length 
of  the  road  lay  through  Indian  countries,  countries 
of  an  enemy  in  arms,  where  the  lirst  man  whom  1 
should  meet  would  kill  me.  To  slay  where  I  Avas 
threatened  nearly  the  same  issue.  As  before,  fatip-ue 
of  mind,  and  not  tranquillity,  suspended  my  cares, 
and  procured  me  further  sleep. 

The  game  of  baggatiway,  as  from  the  descriptira 
above  given,  will  have  been  perceived,  is  necessarily 


GAME    OF    BAGGATAWAY. 


IG] 


attended  with  much  violence  and  noise.  In  the  ardor 
of  contest,  the  ball,  as  has  been  suggested,  if  it  can 
not  be  thrown  to  the  goal  desired,  is  struck  in  any 
direction  by  which  it  can  be  diverted  from  that  de- 
signed by  the  adversary.  At  such  a  moment,  there- 
fore, nothing  could  be  less  liable  to  excite  premature 
alarm,  than  that  the  ball  should  be  tossed  over  the 
pickets  of  the  fort,  nor  that,  having  fallen  there,  it 
should  be  followed  on  the  instant  by  all  engaged  in 
the  game,  as  well  the  one  party  as  the  other,  all 
eager,  all  struggling,  all  shouting,  all  in  the  unre- 
strained pursuit  of  a  rude  athletic  exercise.  Noth- 
ing could  be  less  fitted  to  excite  premature  alarm; 
nothing,  therefore,  could  be  more  happily  devised, 
under  the  circumstances,  ilian  a  stratagem  like  this; 
and  this  was,  in  fact,  the  stratagem  which  the  Indians 
had  employed,  by  which  they  had  obtained  possession 
of  the  fort,  and  by  which  they  had  been  enabled  to 
slaughter  and  subdue  its  garrison,  and  such  of  its 
other  inhabitants  as  they  pleased.  To  be  still  more 
certain  of  success,  they  had  prevailed  upon  as  many 
as  they  could,  by  a  pretext  the  least  liable  to  sus- 
picion, to  come  voluntarily  with6ut  the  pickets;  and 
particularly  the  commandant  and  garrison  themselves. 
The  respite  which  sleep  afforded  me,  during  the 
night,  was  put  an  end  to  by  the  return  of  morning. 
I  was  again  on  the  rack  of  apprehension.  At  sun- 
rise, I  heard  the  family  stirring ;  and  presently  after, 
Indian  voices,  informing  M.  Langlade  that  they  had 

not  found  my  hapless  self  among  the  dead,  nnd  they 

11 


i  .: 


"•^'^'m^mmm'Wf 


^■PWPSiil 


mmmm 


mmmftm^ 


1G2 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


supposed  me  to  be  somewhere  concealed.  M.  Lang- 
lade appeared,  from  what  followed,  to  be  by  this  time 
acquamted  with  the  place  of  my  retreat,  of  which,  no 
doubt,  he  had  been  informed  by  his  wife.  The  poor 
woman,  as  soon  as  the  Indians  mentioned  me,  declared 
to  her  husband,  in  the  1  rench  tongue,  that  he  should 
no  longer  keep  me  in  his  house,  but  deliver  me  up  to 
my  pursuers;  giving  as  a  reason  for  this  measure, 
that  should  the  Indians  discover  his  instrumentality 
in  my  concealment,  they  might  revenge  it  on  her 
children,  and  that  it  was  better  that  I  should  die  than 
they.  M.  Langlade  resisted  at  first  this  sentence  of 
his  wife's,  but  soon  suffered  her  to  prevail,  informing 
the  Ind.  ins  that  he  had  been  told  I  was  in  his  house, 
that  I  had  come  there  without  his  knowledge,  and 
that  he  Avould  put  me  into  their  hands.  This  was  no 
sooner  expressed  than  he  began  to  ascend  the  stairs, 
the  Indians  following  upon  his  heels. 

I  now  resigned  myself  to  the  fate  with  which  I 
was  menaced ;  and  regarding  every  attempt  at  con- 
cealment as  vain,  I  arose  from  the  bed,  and  presented 
myself  full  in  view  to  the  Indians  who  were  entering 
the  room.  They  were  all  in  a  state  of  intoxication, 
and  entirely  naked,  except  about  the  middle.  One 
of  them,  named  Wenniway,  whom  I  had  previously 
known,  and  who  was  upward  of  six  feet  in  bight,  had 
his  entire  face  and  body  covered  with  charcoal  and 
grease,  only  that  a  white  spot,  of  two  inches  in  diam- 
eter, encircled  either  eye.  This  man  walked  up  to 
me,  seized  me  with  ou>3  hand  by  the  ccUar  of  the 


■4fta       *.  .     ■ 


REPRIEVE. 


163 


iich  I 
|t  con- 
Isented 
^ter'mg 
lation, 
One 
riously 
it,  bad 
lal  and 
diam- 
up  to 
lof  tlie 


coat,  while  in  the  other  he  held  a  large  carving-knife, 
as  if  to  nlunge  it  in  my  breast ;  his  eyes  meanwhile 
were  fixed  steadfastly  on  mine.  At  length,  after  some 
seconds  of  the  most  anxious  suspense,  he  dropped  his 
arm,  saying,  "  I  won't  kill  you !"  To  this  he  added, 
that  he  had  frequently  engaged  in  wars  against  the 
English,  and  had  brought  away  many  scalps;  that 
on  a  certain  occasion  he  had  lost  a  brother,  whose 
name  was  Musinigon,  and  that  I  should  be  called 
after  him. 

A  reprieve  upon  any  terms  placed  me  among  the 
living,  and  gave  me  back  the  sustaining  voice  of 
hope;  but  Wenniway  ordered  me  down  stairs,  and 
there  informed  me  that  I  was  to  be  taken  to  his 
cabin,  where,  and  indeed  every -where  else,  the  In- 
dians were  all  mad  with  liquor.  Death  again  was 
threatened,  and  not  as  possible  only,  but  as  certain. 
I  mentioned  my  fears  on  this  subject  to  M.  Langlade, 
begging  him  to  represent  the  danger  to  my  master. 
M.  Langlade,  in  this  instance,  did  not  withhold  his 
compassion,  and  Wenniway  immediately  consented 
that  I  should  remain  where  I  was,  till  he  found  an- 
other opportunity  to  take  me  away. 

Thus  far  secure,  I  reascended  my  garret  stairs,  in 
order  to  place  myself  the  furthest  possible  out  of  the 
reach  of  insult  from  drunken  Lidians ;  but  I  had  not 
remained  there  more  than  an  hour,  when  I  was  called 
to  the  room  below,  in  which  was  an  Indian,  who  said 
that  I  must  go  with  him  out  of  the  fort,  Wenniway 
having  sent  him  to  fetch  me.     This  man,  as  well  as 


'^^"(■^"""■■nwiiiPipp 


164 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


AVcnniway  Limself,  I  had  seen  before.  In  the  pre- 
ceding year,  I  had  allowed  him  to  take  goods  on 
credit,  for  wliicli  he  was  still  in  my  debt;  and  a  short 
time  previous  to  the  surprise  of  the  fort,  he  had  said, 
upon  my  upbraiding  him  with  want  of  hone&ty,  that 
"he  would  pay  me  before  long!"  This  speech  now 
came  fresh  into  my  memory,  and  led  me  to  suspect 
that  the  fellow  had  formed  a  design  against  my  life. 
I  communicated  the  suspicion  to  M.  Langlade;  but 
he  gave  for  answer  that  "I  was  not  now  my  own 
master,  and  must  do  as  I  was  ordered." 

The  Indian,  on  his  part,  directed  that  before  I  left 
the  house,  I  should  undress  myself,  declaring  that 
my  coat  and  shirt  would  become  him  better  than  they 
did  me.  His  pleasure,  in  this  respect,  being  com- 
plied with,  there  was  no  other  alternative  left  me 
than  either  to  go  out  naked,  or  put  on  the  clothes 
of  the  Indian,  which  he  freely  gave  me  in  exchange. 
His  motive  for  thus  stripping  me  of  my  own  apparel 
was  no  other,  as  I  afterward  learned,  than  this — that 
it  might  not  be  stained  with  blood  when  he  should 
kill  me. 

I  was  now  told  to  proceed;  and  my  driver  followed 
me  close,  till  I  had  passed  the  gate  of  the  fort,  when 
I  turned  toward  the  spot  where  I  knew  the  Indians 
to  be  encamped.  This,  however,  did  not  suit  the  pur- 
pose of  my  enemy,  who  seized  me  by  the  arm,  and 
drew  me  violently  in  the  opposite  direction,  to  the 
distance  of  fifty  yards  above  the  fort.  Here,  finding 
that  I  was  approaching  the  bushes  and  sand-hills,  I 


mmm 


A    KARROW    KSCAffi 


16o 


red 
len 
ma 
|ur- 
md 
Ithe 

,x 


Jutermined  to  proceed  no  farther,  but  told  the  Indian 
that  I  believed  he  meant  to  murder  me,  and,  if  so, 
he  might  as  well  strike  where  I  'vas  as  at  any  greater 
distance.  He  replied,  with  coolness,  that  my  sus- 
picions were  just,  and  that  he  meant  to  pay  me  in 
this  manner  for  my  goods.  At  the  same  time  he 
produced  a  knife,  and  held  me  in  a  position  to  receive 
the  intended  blow.  Both  this  and  that  which  followed 
were  necessarily  the  affair  of  a  moment.  By  some 
effort,  too  sudden  and  too  little  dependent  on  thought 
to  be  explained  or  remembered,  I  was  enabled  to 
arrest  his  arm,  and  give  him  a  sudden  push,  by  which 
I  turned  him  from  me,  and  released  myself  from  his 
grasp.  This  was  no  sooner  done  than  I  ran  toward 
the  fort,  with  all  the  swiftness  in  my  power,  the  In- 
dian following  me,  and  I  expecting  every  moment 
to  feel  his  knife.  I  succeeded  in  my  flight;  and,  on 
entering  the  fort,  I  saw  Wenniway  standing  in  thp 
midst  of  the  area,  and  to  him  I  hastened  for  pro 
tection.  Wenniway  desired  the  Indian  to  desist;  but 
the  latter  pursued  me  round  him,  making  several 
strokes  at  me  with  his  knife,  and  foaming  at  the 
mouth  with  rage  at  the  repeated  failure  of  his  pur- 
pose. At  length  Wenniway  drew  near  to  M.  Lang- 
lade's house ;  and,  the  door  being  open,  I  ran  into 
it.  The  Indian  followed  me ;  but,  on  my  entering 
the  house,  he  voluntarily  abandoned  the  pursuit. 

Preserved  so  oV.  a,  and  so  unexpectedly,  as  it  had 
now  been  my  lot  >  be,  I  returned  to  my  garret, 
with  a  strong  inclination  to  believe  that,  through  the 


166 


LIFK    A  MONO    1' H  E    INDIAKS. 


Will  of  an  overruling  Power,  no  Indian  enemy  could 
do  me  hurt;  but  new  trials,  as  I  believed,  were  at 
hand,  when,  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening,  I  was 
roused  from  sleep,  and  once  more  desired  to  descend 
the  stairs.  Not  less,  however,  to  my  satisfaction  than 
surprise,  I  was  summoned  only  to  meet  Major  Ether- 
ington,  Mr.  Bostwick,  and  Lieutenant  Lesslie,  who 
were  in  the  room  below. 

These  gentlemen  had  been  taken  prisoners,  while 
looking  at  the  game,  without  the  fort,  and  imme- 
diately stripped  of  all  their  clothes.  They  were  now 
sent  into  the  fort,  under  tht  charge  of  Canadians, 
because,  the  Indians  having  resolved  on  getting  drunk, 
the  chiefs  were  apprehensive  that  they  would  be  mur- 
dered if  they  continued  in  the  camp.  Lieutenant 
Jemette  and  seventy  soldiers  had  been  killed;  and 
but  twenty  Englishmen,  including  soldiers,  were  still 
alive.  These  were  all  within  the  fort,  together  with 
nearly  three  hundred  Canadians  belonging  to  the  ca- 


noes, etc. 


These  being  our  numbers,  myself  and  others  pro- 
posed to  Major  Etherington  to  make  an  effort  for 
regaining  possession  of  the  fort,  and  maintaining  it 
against  the  Indians.  The  Jesuit  missionary  was  con- 
sulted on  the  project;-  but  he  discouraged  us  by  his 
representations,  not  only  of  the  merciless  treatment 
which  we  must  expect  from  the  Indians,  should  they 
regain  their  superiority,  but  of  the  little  dependence  • 
which  was  to  be  placed  upon  our  Canadian  auxilia- 
ries.    Thus  the  fort  and  prisoners  remained  in  the 


■ilU^iqii^MI   I      III 


M«»MM|MpfPMIMWMfrt 


DISTRESSING    SUSPENSE. 


1G7 


nih 
ca- 


hands  of  the  Indians,  though,  through  the  whole  niglit, 
the  prisoners  and  whites  were  in  actual  possession, 
and  they  Were  without  the  gates. 

That  whole  night,  or  the  greater  part  of  it,  was 
passed  in  mutual  condolence ;  and  my  fellow-prisoners 
shared  my  garret.  In  the  morning,  being  again  called 
down,  I  found  my  master,  Wenniway,  and  was  de- 
sired to  follow  him.  He  led  me  to  a  small  house, 
within  the  fort,  where,  in  a  narrow  room,  and  almost 
dark,  I  found  Mr.  Ezckiel  Solomons,  an  Englishman 
from  Detroit;  r.nd  a  soldier,  all  prisoners.  With  tliese 
1  remained  in  painful  suspense,  as  to  the  scene  that 
was  next  to  present  itself,  till  10  o'clock  in  the  fore- 
noon, when  an  Indian  arrived,  and  marched  us  to 
the  lake-side,  where  a  canoe  appeared  ready  for  de- 
parture, and  in  which  we  found  that  we  were  to 
embark. 

Our  voyage,  full  of  doubt  as  it  was,  would  have 
commenced  immediately,  but  that  one  of  the  Indians, 
who  was  to  be  of  the  party,  was  absent.  His  ar- 
rival was  to  be  waited  for;  and  this  occasioned  a 
very  long  delay,  during  which  we  were  exposed  to  a 
keen  north-east  wind.  An  old  shirt  was  all  that  cov- 
'Pi;  I  suffered  much  from  the  cold;  and  in  this 
extremity, .  M.  Langlade  coming  down  to  the  beach, 
I  asked  him  for  a  blanket,  promising,  if  I  lived,  to 
pay  him  for  it,  at  any  price  he  pleased;  but  the  an- 
swer I  received  was  this,  that  he  could  let  me  have 
no  blanket  unless  there  wer6  some  one  to  be  security 
for  the  payment.     For  myself,  he  observed,  I  had  no 


y\. 


■■ 


168 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


longer  any  property  in  that  country.  I  had  no  more 
to  say  to  M.  Langlade;  but  presently  seeing  another 
Canadian,  named  John  Cuchoise,  I  addressed  to  him 
a  similar  request,  and  was  not  refused. '  Naked  as 
I  was,  and  rigorous  as  was  the  weather,  but  for  the 
blanket  I  must  have  perished.  At  noon,  our  party 
was  all  collected,  the  prisoners  all  embarked,  and  we 
steered  for  the  Isles  du  Castor — Beaver  Island — in 
Lake 'Michigan. 

The  soldier,  who  was  our  companion  in  misfortune, 
was  made  fast  to  a  bar  of  the  canoe,  by  a  rope  tied 
round  his  neck,  as  is  the  manner  of  the  Indians  in 
transporting  their  prisoners.  The  rest  were  left  un- 
confiued;  but  a  paddle  was  put  into  each  of  our 
hands,  and  we  were  made  to  use  it.  The  Indians 
in  the  canoe  were  seven  in  number,  the  prisoners 
four.  I  had  left,  as  it  will  be  recollected.  Major  Eth- 
erington,  Lieutenant  Lesslie,  and  Mr.  Bostwick,  at 
M.  Langlade's,  and  was  now  joined  in  misery  with 
Mr.  Ezekiel  Solomons,  the  soldier,  and  the  English- 
man, who  had  newly  arrived  from  Detroit.  This  was 
on  the  sixth  day  of  June.  The  fort  was  taken  on 
the  fourth;  I  surrendered  myself  to  Wenniway  on 
the  fifth ;  and  this  was  the  third  day  of  our  distress. 

We  were  bound,  as  I  have  said,  for  the  Isles  du 
Castor,  which  lie  in  the  mouth  of  Lake  Michigan; 
and  we  should  have  crossed  the  lake,  but  that  a  thick 
fog  came  on,  on  account  of  which  the  Indians  deemed 
it  safer  to  keep  the  shore  close  under  their  lee.  Wc, 
therefore,  approached  the  lands  of  the  Ottawas.  and 


oners  they  are  carryij  '  '"""''^'-  "f  P™- 

-'-h  the  Ottawa,  rnlTZ''':'''  "«' -^ 
avoid  going  ,„„„j  .  a  ca„y,„g  p^„^^  ^^  ^^  ^^ 

from  MactLw     After     e'l'r"';''^'''^^''  -'- 
"■arwhoop,  as  before  t  0  t  "'  '""  ""'^^  """■'• 

-each,  .ho  „ac,e  .^iZZZTt  T  ^^ 
sequence,  we   appr:ached.      The  ol^  .        """ 

news,  and  fcent  thp  Oh-  *"  ^'''^d  the 

«-. «"  we  witL^rr;!':?'::  rr^- 

■n  shallow  water     At  thi,  ^'  '"'"''  ^-J 

'ushed  upon  us  fr„  """"""  "  '"""'red  men 

shout.  "'"'^  "•"  ""noe,  amid  a  terrifying 

We  now  believed  that  our  last  s„ff«  • 

Proaching;  but  no  sooner"  r    Jet?'  ""t  ''• 
-''  on  our  legs,  than  the  cWftof  tf  "  ''""■ 
vanced,  and  gave  each  of  .     *,.      !    ^  P"'^  "d- 
*-  the,  wer'  our  f  en  /  ™  ^f"'"''  '^''^^  « 
Ohippewas  had  insulted    h    !>  '"'''  ^'"""  "" 

without  consultin     wh't  0  T'  ''"  ^"S"''' 

°  with  them   on  the  affair.     Ther 


170 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


h> 


added,  that  what  they  had  done  was  for  the  purpose 
of  saving  our  lives,  the  Chippewas  having  been  car- 
rying us  to  the  Isles  du  Castor,  only  to  kill  and 
devour  us. 

'  The  reader's  imagination  is  here  distracted  by  the 
variety  of  our  fortunes,  and  he  may  well  paint  to 
himself  the  state  of  mind  of  those  Avho  sustained 
them,  who  were  the  sport  or  the  victims  of  a  series 
of  events,  more  like  dreams  than  realities,  more  like 
fiction  than  truth!  It  was  not  long  before  we  were 
embarked  again,  in  the  canoes  of  the  Ottawas,  who, 
the  same  evening,  relanded  us  at  Mackinaw,  where 
they  marched  us  into  the  fort,  in  view  of  the  '''liippe- 
was,  confounded  at  beholding  the  OttaAvas  espousing 
a  side  opposite  to  their  own. 

The  Ottawas,  who  had  accompanied  us  in  suffi- 
cient numbers,  took  possession  of  the  fort.  We,  who 
had  changed  masters,  but  were  still  prisoners,  were 
lodged  in  the  house  of  the  commandant,  and  strictly 
guarded. 

Early  the  next  morning  a  general  council  was  held, 
in  which  the  Chippewas  complained  much  of  the  con- 
duct of  the  Ottawas,  in  robbing  them  of  their  pris- 
oners; alleging  that  all  the  Indians — the  Ottawas 
alone  excepted — were  at  war  with  the  English ;  that 
Pontiac  had  taken  Detroit;  that  the  King  of  France 
had  awoke,  and  repossessed  himself  of  Quebec  and 
Montreal;  and  that  the  English  were  meeting  de- 
struction, not  only  at  Mackinaw,  but  in  every  otlier 
part  ot'  the  world.     From  all  this,  they  inferred  that 


Tit  E    OTTAWAS    YIELD. 


171 


and 

de- 

tlier 

thut 


:t  became  the  Ottawas  to  restore  the  prisoners,  and 
10  join  in  the  war ;  and  the  speech  was  followed  hy 
large  presents,  being  part  t)f  the  plunder  of  the  fort, 
and  which  Avas  previously  heaped  in  the  center  of  the 
room.  The  Indians  rarely  make  their  answers  till 
the  day  after  they  have  heard  the  arguments  offered. 
They  did  not  depart  from  their  custom  on  this  occi- 
sion ;  and  the  council  therefore  adjourned. 

We,  the  prisoners,  whose  fate  was  thus  in  con- 
troversy, were  unacquainted,  at  the  time,  with  this 
transaction,  and  tlicrefore  enjoyed  a  night  of  toler- 
able tranquillity,  not  in  the  least  suspecting  the  re- 
verse which  was  preparing  for  us.  Which  of  the  ' 
arguments  of  the  Chippewas,  or  whether  or  not  all, 
were  deemed  valid  by  the  Ottawas,  I  can  not  say; 
but  the  council  was  resumed  at  an  early  hour  in  the 
morning;  and,  after  several  speeches  had  been  made 
in  it,  the  prisoners  were  sent  for,  and  returned  to  the 
Chippewas. 

The  Ottawas,  who  now  gave  us  into  the  hands  of 
the  ChippcAvas,  had  themselves  declared  that  the  hit- 
ter designed  no  other  than  to  kill  us,  and  make  broth 
of  U8.  The  Chippewas,  as  soon  as  we  were  restored 
to  them,  marched  us  to  a  village  of  their  own,  situate 
on  the  point  which  is  below  the  fort,  and  put  us  into 
a  lodge,  already  the  prison  of  fourteen  soldiers,  tied 
two  and  two,  with  each  a  rope  about  his  neck,  and 
made  fast  to  a  pole,  which  might  be  called  the  sup- 
porter of  the  building. 

I  was  left  untied;  but  I  passed  a  night  sleepless 


172 


LIF£    AMONQ    TU£    INDIA  iNS. 


&Tid  full  o€  wrotchcdncss.  My  bed  was  the  bure 
ground,  and  I  was  again  reduced  to  an  old  shirt,  as 
my  entire  apparel ;  the  blanket  which  I  had  received, 
through  the  generopity  of  M.  Cuchoise,  having  been 
taken  from  me  among  the  Ottawas,  when  they  seized 
upon  myself  and  the  others,  at  Wagoshcnso.  I  was, 
besides,  in  want  of  food,  having  for  two  days  eaten 
nothing. 

I  confess  that  in  the  canoe  with  the  Chippewas  I 
was  offered  bread ;  but,  bread,  with  what  accompani- 
ment? They  had  a  loaf,  which  they  cut  with  the 
same  knives  that  they  had  employed  in  the  massa- 
cre— knives,  still  covered  with  blood.  The  blood 
they  moistened  with  spittle,  and  rubbing  it  on  the 
bread,  offered  this  fur  food  to  their  prisoners,  telling 
them  to  eat  the  blood  of  their  countrymen. 

Such  was  my  situation  on  the  morning  of  the  7th 
of  June,  in  the  year  one  thousand,  seven  hundred 
and  sixty-three ;  but  a  few  hours  produced  an  event 
which  gave  still  a  new  color  to  my  lot. 

Toward  noon,  when  the  great  war-chief,  in  com 
pany  with  Wenniway,  was  seated  at  the  opposite  end 
of  the  lodge,  my  friend  and  brother,  Wawatam,  sud- 
denly came  in.     During  the  four  days  preceding,  I 
had  often  wondered  what  had  become  of  him.     In 
passing  by  he  gave  me  his  hand,  but  went  imme 
diately  toward  the  great  chief,  by  the  side  of  whom 
and  Wenniway,  he  sat  himself  down.     The  most  un 
Interrupted  silence  prevailed;  each  smoked  his  pipe; 
and  this  being  done,  Wawatam  presently  arose,  end 


WA  WAT  A  MS    SPEECU. 


173 


left  the  lodge,  saying  to  rac,  as  ho  passed,  "Take 


courage !" 


)e; 
[nd 


An  hour  chipsod,  during  which  several  chiefs  en- 
tered, and  preparations  appeared  to  be  making  for  a 
council.  At  length,  Wawatam  re-entered  tile  lodge, 
followed  by  his  wife,  and  both  loaded  with  merchan- 
dise, which  they  carried  up  to  the  chiefs,  and  V.id  in 
a  heap  before  them.  Some  moments  of  silence  fol- 
lowed, at  the  end  of  which,  Wawatam  pronounced  a 
speech,  every  word  of  which,  to  mo,  S'.'as  of  extraor- 
dinary interest: 

"  Friends  and  relations,"  he  began,  "  what  is  it  that 
I  shall  say?  You  know  what  I  feel.  You  all  have 
friends,  and  brothers,  and  cliildren,  whom,  as  youi- 
selves,  you  love;  and  you,  what  would  you  expe- 
rience, did  you,  like  me,  behold  your  dearest  friend, 
your  brother,  in  the  condition  of  a  slave — a  slave, 
exposed  every  moment  to  insult,  and  to  menaces  of 
death?  This  case,  as  you  all  know,  is  mine.  See 
there,  [pointing  to  myself^  my  friend  and  brother, 
among  slaves,  himself  a  slave  ! 

"  You  all  well  know  that  long  before  the  war  began, 
I  adopted  him  as  my  brother.  From  that  moment 
he  became  one  of  my  family,  so  that  no  change  of 
circumstances  could  break  the  cord  which  fastened  us 
together. 

"  He  is  my  brother ;  and,  because  I  am  your  rela- 
tion, he  is  therefore  your  relation,  too;  and  how, 
being  your  relation,  can  he  be  your  slave  ? 

"On  the  day  on  which  the  war  began,  you  wero 


174 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


•  fi 


fearful,  le»l,  on  this  very  account,  I  should  reveal 
your  secret.  You  requested,  therefore,  tho'^  I  would 
leave  the  fort,  and  even  cross  the  lake.  I  did  so,  but 
did  it  with  reluctance.  I  did  it  with  reluctance,  not- 
withstanding that  you,  Menehwehna,  who  had  the 
command  in  this  enterprise,  gave  me  your  promise 
that  you  would  protect  my  friend,  delivering  him 
from  all  danger,  and  giving  him  safely  to  me. 

"The  performance  of  this  promise  I  now  claim.  1 
come  not  with  empty  hands  to  ask  it.  You,  Meneh- 
wehna, best  know  whether  or  not,  as  it  respects  your- 
self, you  have  kept  your  word;  but  I  bring  these 
goods,  to  buy  off  every  claim  Avhich  any  man  among 
you  all  may  have  on  my  brother,  as  I  is  prisoner." 

Wawatam  having  ceased,  the  pipes  were  again 
filled;  and,  after  they  were  finished,  a  further  period 
of  silence  followed.  At  the  end  of  this,  Menehwehna 
arose  and  gave  his  reply :  = 

"My  relation  and  brother,"  said  he,  "what  you 
have  spoken  is  the  truth.  We  ".ere  acquainted  with 
the  friendship  wh'ch  subsisted  between  yourself  and 
the  Englishman,  iii  whose  behalf  you  have  row  ad- 
dressed us.  We  knew  the  danger  of  having  our 
secret  discovered,  and  the  consequences  which  must 
follow;  and  you  say  truly  that  we  requested  you  to 
leave  the  fort.  T\m  we  did,  out  of  regard  for  you 
and  yoitr  family;  for,  if  a  discovery  of  our  design 
had  been  made,  and  its  execution  had  been  prevented, 
you  would  have  Leon  blamed,  whether  you  were 
guilty  or  not;    and  you  would  thus  have  been  iu- 


)  I 


MENEIIWEHNA'S    SPEECH. 


175 


volved  in  difficulties,  from  which  you  could  not  have 
extricated  yourself. 

"  It  is  also  true  that  I  promised  you  to  take  care  of 
your  friend;  and  this  promise  I  performed,  by  desir- 
ing my  son,  at  the  moment  of  assault,  to  seek  him 
out,  and  bring  him  to  my  lodge.  He  went  accord- 
ingly, but  could  not  find  him.  The  day  after  I  sent 
him  to  Langlade's,  when  he  was  informed  t^'at  your 
friend  was  safe ;  and  had  it  not  been  that  the  Indians 
were  then  drinking  the  rum  which  had  been  found  in 
the  fort,  he  would  have  brought  him  home  with  him 
according  to  my  orders.  * 

"I  am  very  glad  to  find  that  your  friend  has  es- 
caped. We  accept  your  present;  and  you  may  take 
him  home  with  you." 

Wawatam  thanked  the  assembled  chiefs,  and  taking 
me  by  the  hand,  led  me  to  his  lodge,  which  was  at 
the  distance  of  a  foAV  yards  only  from  the  prison 
lodge.  My  entrance  appeared  to  give  joy  to  the 
whole  family ;  food  was  immediately  prepared  for 
me;  and  I  now  ate  the  first  hearty  meal  which  I  had 
made  since  my  capture.  I  found  myself  one  of  the 
family;  and,  but  that  I  had  still  my  fears,  as  to  the 
other  Indians,  I  felt  as  happy  as  the  situation  could 
allow. 

In  the  course  of  the  next  morning  I  was  alarmed 
by  a  noise  in  the  prison  lodge ;  and  looking  through 
the  openings  of  the  lodge  in  which  I  was,  I  saw  seven 
dead  bodies  of  white  men  dragged  forth.  Upon  my 
inquiry  into  the  occasion,  I  was  informed  that  a  cer- 


41 


176 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


tain  chief,  called  by  the  Canadians,  Le  Grand  Sable, 
had  not  long  before  arrived  from  his  winter's  hunt; 
and  that  he  having  been  absent  when  the  war  begun, 
and  being  now  desirous  of  manifesting  to  the  Indians 
at  large  his  hearty  concurrence  in  what  they  had 
done,  had  gone  into  the  prison  lodge,  and  there, 
with  his  knife,  put  the  seven  men,  whose  bodies  I 
had  seen,  to  death.  •  = 

Shortly  after  two  of  the  Indians  took  one  of  the 
dead  bodies,  which  they  chose  as  being  the  fattest, 
cut  off  the  head,  and  divided  the  whole  into  five 
parts,  one  of  which  was  put  into  each  of  five  ket- 
tles, hung  over  as  many  fires,  kindled  for  this  pur- 
pose, at  the  door  of  the  prison  lodge.  Soon  after 
things  were  so  far  prepared,  a  message  came  to  our 
lodge,  with  an  invitation  to  Wawatam  to  ast.ist  at 
the  feast. 

An  invitation  to  a  feast  is  given  bv  him  who  is  the 
master  of  it.  Small  cuttings  of  cedar  wood,  of  about 
four  inches  in  length,  supply  the  place  of  cards ;  and 
the  bearer  by  w^ord  of  mouth  states  the  particulars. 

Wawatam  obeyed  the  summons,  taking  with  him, 
as  usual,  to  the  place  of  entertainment,  his  dish  and 
spoon. 

After  an  absence  of  about  half  an  hour,  he  re 
turned,  bringing  in  his  dish  a  human  hand,  and  a 
large  piece  of  flesh.  He  did  not  appear  to  relish 
the  repast,  but  told  me  that  it  was  then,  and  always 
had  been,  the  custom  imong  all  the  Indian  nations, 
when   returning  from  war,   or  on    overcoming   their 


Id 


a 
hi 

ir 


ANOTHER    CAPTURE. 


177 


enemies,  to  make  a  war-feast  from  among  tlie  slain. 
This,  he  said,  inspired  the  warrior  with  courage  in 
attack,  and  bred  him  to  meet  death  with  fearlessness. 

In  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  a  large  canoe, 
such  as  those  which  came  from  Montreal,  was  seen 
advancing  to  the  fort.  It  was  full  of  men,  and  I  dis- 
tinguished several  passengers.  The  Indian  cry  was 
made  in  the  village;  a  general  muster  ordered;  and 
to  the  number  of  two  hundred,  they  marched  up  to 
the  fort,  where  the  canoe  was  expected  to  land.  The 
canoe,  suspecting  nothing,  came  boldly  to  the  fort, 
where  the  passengers,  as  being  English  traders,  were 
immediately  seized,  dragged  through  the  water,  beat, 
reviled,  marched  to  the  prison  lodge,  there  stripped 
of  their  clothes  and  confined. 

Of  the  English  traders  that  fell  "into  the  hands  of 
the  Indians  at  the  capture  of  the  fort,  Mr.  Tracy  was 
the  only  one  who  lost  his  life.  -Mr.  Ezekiel  Solo- 
mons  and  Mr.  Henry  Bot<twick  were  taken  by  the 
Ottawas,  and  after  the  peace  carried  down  to  Mon- 
treal, and  there  ransomed.  Of  ninety  troops,  about 
seventy  were  killed ;  the  rest,  together  with  those  of 
the  posts  in  the  Bay  des  Puants,  and  at  the  river 
St.  Joseph,  were  also  kept  in  safety  by  the  Ottawas 
till  the  peace,  and  then  either  freely  restored  or  ran- 
somed at  Montreal.  The  Ottawas  never  overcame 
their  disgust  at  the  neglect  with  which  they  had  been 
treated,  in  the  beginning  of  the  war,  by  those  who 
afterward  desired  their  assistance  as  allies. 

On  the  morning  of  the  ninth  of  June,  a  general 


HI 


m 


I 


178 


LIFE    AMONG    TUE    INDIANS. 


council  was  held,  at  which  it  was  agreed  to  remove 
to  the  island  of  Mackinaw,  as  a  more  defensible  situ- 
ation in  the  event  of  an  attack  by  me  English.  The 
Indians  had  begun  to  entertain  apprehensions  of  want 
of  strength.  No  news  had  reached  them  from  the 
Puttawatamics,  in  the  Bay  des  Puants ;  and  they  were 
uncertain  whether  or  not  the  Monomins  would  join 
them.  They  even  feared  that  the  Sioux  would  take 
the  English  side.  : 

This  resolution  fixed,  they  prepared  for  a  speedy 
retreat.  At  noon  the  camp  was  broken  up,  and  we 
embarked,  taking  with  us  the  prisoners  that  were  still 
undisposed  of.  On  our  passage  we  encountered  a 
gale  of  wind,  and  there  were  some  appearances  of 
danger.  To  avert  it,  a  dog,  of  which  the  legs  were 
previously  tied  together,  was  thrown  into  the  lake — 
an  offering  designed  to  soothe  the  angry  passions  of 
some  offended  Manito.  .  - 

As  we  approached  the  island,  two  women  in  the 
canoe  in  which  I  was,  began  to  utter  melancholy 
and  most  hideous  cries.  Precarious  as  my  condition 
still  remained,  I  experienced  some  sensations  of  alarm 
from  these  dismal  sounds,  of  which  I  could  not  then 
discover  the  occasion.  Subsequently,  I  learned  that 
it  is  customary  for  the  women,  on  passing  near  the 
burial-places  of  relations,  never  to  omit  the  practice 
of  which  I  was  now  a  witness,  and  by  w';'^^  they 
intend  to  denote  their  grief. 

By  the  approach  of  evening  we  reached  the  island 
m  safety,  and  the  women  were  not  long  in  erecting 


CANOES     C  A  I»T  U  RED. 


170 


\y 


Dur  Ciibins.  In  the  morning,  tliore  was  a  muster  of 
tne  Indians,  at  wliicli  there  were  found  three  hundred 
and  fifty  fighting  men.  « 

In  the  course  of  the  day  there  arrived  a  canoe 
from  Detroit,  with  embassadors,  who  endeavored  to 
prevail  on  the  Indians  to  repair  thither  to  the  assist- 
ance of  Pontiac;  but  fbar  was  now  the  prevailing 
passion.  A  guard  was  kept  during  the  day,  and  a 
watch  by  night,  and  alarms  were*  frequently  spread. 
Had  an  enemy  appeared,  all  the  prisoners  would  have 
been  put  to  death;  and  I  suspected  that,  as  an  Eng- 
lishman, I  should  share  their  fate. 

Several  days  had  now  passed,  when  one  morning  a 
continued  alarm  prevailed,  and  I  saw  the  Indians  run- 
ning  in  a  confused  manner  toward  the  beach.  In  a 
short  time  I  learned  that  two  large  canoes  from  Mon- 
treal were  in  sight. 

All  the  Indian  canoes  were  immediately  manned, 
and  those  from  Montreal  were  surrounded  and  seized, 
as  they  turned  a  point  behind  which  the  flotilla  had 
been  concealed.  The  goods  were  consigned  to  a  Mr. 
Levy,  and  would  have  been  saved  if  tlie  canoe  men 
had  called  them  French  property;  but  they  were  ter- 
rified, and  disguised  nothing.  ' 

In  the  canoes  was  a  large  proportion  of  liquor,  a 
dangerous  acquisition,  and  which  threatened  disturb- 
ance among  the  Indians,  even  the  loss  of  their  dear- 
est friends.  Wawatam,  ever  watchful  of  my  safety, 
no  sooner  heard  the  noise  of  drunkenness,  which 
in  the  evening  did  not  fail  to  begin,  than  he  repie- 


i*iif 


It  |>i; 


^1 


180 


LIFE    AMONG    TUB    INDIANS. 


scnted  to  me  the  danger  of  remaining  in  the  village, 
and  owned  that  he  could  not  himself  resist  the  tempt- 
ation of  joining  his  comrades  in  the  debauch.  That 
I  might  escape  all  mischief,  he,  therefore,  requested 
that  I  would  accompany  him  to  the  mountain,  Avhere 
I  was  to  remain  hidden  till  the  liquor  sliould  be  drank. 

We  ascended  the  mountain  accordir  gly.  It  is  this 
mountain  which  constitutes  the  high  land  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  island,*  presenting  to  the  traveler's  eye 
a  figure  considered  as  resembling  a  turtle,  and,  there- 
fore, called  Mackinaw.  It  is  thicklv  covered  with 
wood,  and  very  rocky  toward  the  top.  After  walking 
more  than  half  a  mile,  we  came  to  a  large  rock,  at 
the  base  of  which  was  an  opening,  dark  within,  and 
appearing  to  be  the  entrance  of  a  cave. 

Here,  Wawatam  recommended  that  1  should  take 
up  my  lodging,  and  by  all  means  remain  till  he  re- 
turned. ,  ■     . .  > 

On  going  into  the  cave,  of  which  the  entrance  was 
nearly  ten  feet  wide,  I  found  the  further  end  to  be 
rounded  in  its  shape,  like  that  of  an  oven,  but  with 
a  further  aperture,  too  small,  however,  to  be  explored. 

After  thus  looking  around  me,  I  broke  some  small 
branches  from  the  trees,  and  spread  them  for  a  bed; 
thei  wrapped  myself  in  my  blanket,  and  sl^pt  till 
day -break. 

On  awaking  I  felt  myself  incommoded  by  some 
object  upon  which  I  lay;  and  removing  it,  found  it 
to  be  a  bone.  This  I  supposed,  to  be  that  of  a  deer, 
or  some  other  animal,  and  what  might  very  naturally 


liie 
it 


LODGING    AMOxN^G    BONES. 


181 


be  looked  for  in  the  place  in  which  it  was  ;  but  when 
daylight  visited  my  chamber  I  discovered,  with  some 
feelings  of  horror,  that  I  was  lying  on  nothing  less 
than  a  heap  of  human  bones  and  skulls,  which  cov- 
ered all  the  fl'    M 

Soon  after  this  Wawatam  started  with  his  pris- 
oner— less  a  prisoner  than  brother — for  his  winter 
hunting-ground,  which  was  up  the  river  Aux  Sables, 
and  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  Mackinaw. 
From  this  family  Mr.  Henry  received  every  possible 
kindness  through  the  long  and  gloomy  winter.  The 
following  May  they  returned  to  Mackinaw,  where  he 
was  soon  after  enabled  to  effect  his  escape  in  a  canoe, 
and  reached  the  English  settlements  in  safety. 


till 


•.»■' 


'J 


If "   ""'- 


t-M 


H 


I  < 


182 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

TECUMSEH    AND    HIS    WAR.  , 

Tecumseh  is  a  name  renowned  in  history.  He 
was  the  soul  and  leader  in  the  last  great  eflbrt  of 
barbarism,  to  check  the  swelling  tide  of  civilizatioD 
in  the  west.  To  this  final  struggle  all  the  great 
energies  of  his  nature  were  consecrated,  as  well  as 
life  itself.  Nobler  would  it  have  been,  had  he  devoted 
himself  to  the  intellectual  and  social  elevation  of  his 
people,  and  induced  them  to  cultivate  the  arts,  and 
acquire  the  habits  of  civilized  life.  But  he  was 
trained  to  a  scornful  contempt  of  those  habits.  That 
aversion,  too,  was  increased  by  finding  the  powerful 
rival  to  the  occupation  of  the  country,  continually 
encroaching  upon  their  ancient  grounds,  and  rising 
up  to  overshadow  his  people  with  their  numbers  and 
power.  Also,  in  the  swiftly-approaching  future,  ho 
readily  apprehended  that  not  a  foot  of  all  tlieir  large 
possessions  would  remain  to  tliem;  and,  indeed,  the 
prospect  of  tlioir  utter  annihilation  alieady  began  to 
loom  up  in  the  distjince.  It  was  not  a  savage  thirst 
for  blood,  but  love  of  country,  though  misguided  and 
ill-directed,  that  nerved  him  for  tlie  great  struggle. 
His  name  is  surely  enrolled  among  the  heroes  of  the 
earth. 


T  E  C  U  M  S  E  U    IN    YOUTH. 


188 


Tecumseh  was  a  Shawnoo  by  birth.  His  father, 
who  was  a  chief  in  the  nation,  was  klMed  in  the 
celebrated  battle  of  the  Kanawha,  in  1774.  His 
oldest  brother  was  likewise  killed,  while  upon  a  scout- 
ing party  against  the  settlers  in  Kentucky.  Tecum- 
seh was  born  about  the  year  1768,  in  an  Indian 
village  on  the  Mad  river,  about  six  miles  from  the 
place  where  Springfield,  Ohio,  now  stands.  From 
his  boyhood,  it  is  said,  he  gave  promise  of  future 
greatness.  Coolness,  bravory,  and  sagacity  marked 
him,  whether  in  the  council,  or  on  the  battle-field. 
There,  too,  was  a  sprinkling  of  humanity  in  him; 
honorable,  especially  to  a  savage  warrior. 

The  first  action  in  which  Tecumseh  participated, 
occurred  near  where  Dayton  now  stands.  He  was 
then  a  mere  boy.  The  next  occurred  when  he  was 
about  sixteen  years  of  age.  It  was  an  attack  by  the 
Indians  upon  some  flat-boats  which  were  descend- 
ing the  Ohio,  near  Maysville.  In  this  action  he 
manifested  signal  prowess,  leaving  in  the  background 
even  some  of  the  oldest  and  bravest  warriors  of  the 
party.  The  boats  were  taken,  and  all  who  were 
found  alive  on  board,  were  mercilessly  tomahawked, 
except  one,  who  was  taken  prisoner,  and  afterward 
burned.  In  this  latter  act  Tecumseh  took  no  active 
part.  He  had  never  before  witnessed  the  burning 
of  a  prisoner;  and  when  it  was  over,  expressed  him- 
self in  such  strong  terms  of  reprobation,  that  the 
party  were  finally  induced  to  agree  never  to  burn  any 
more  prisoners.     To  this  determination  Tecumseh  is 


f!|il 


ii 


184 


Lii^'E  aMoJ^g  tiiri  i^iDtxii^. 


ii 


iii 


said  to  have  tenaciously  adhered  in  all  his  subsequent 
career. 

But  it  must  not  be  inferred  that  Tecumseh  was 
still  other  than  a  savage,  because  he  refrained  from 
this  refinement  of  savage  cruelty.  Such  an  impres- 
sion will  be  at  once  dissipated  by  the  narration  of 
the  following  well-authenticated  affray,  which  occurred 
at  Hacker's  creek,  in  May,  1792  :* 

"With  a  small  band  of  warriors,  he  came  upon 
the  family  of  John  Waggoner,  about  dusk.  They 
found  Waggoner  a  short  distance  from  his  house, 
sitting  upon  a  log,  resting  himself  after  the  fatigues 
of  the  day.  Tecumseh  directed  his  men  to  capture 
the  family,  while  himself  was  engaged  with  Wag- 
goner. To  make  sure  work,  he  took  deliberate  aim 
at  him  with  his  rifle;  but  fortunately  he  did  not  even 
Avound  him,  though  the  ball  passed  next  to  his  skin. 
Waggoner  threw  himself  oft'  the  log,  and  ran  with  all 
his  might,  Jind  Tecumseh  followed.  Having  the  ad- 
vantage of  an  accurate  knowledge  of  the  ground, 
Waggoner  made  good  his  escape.  Meanwhile  his 
men  succeeded  in  carrying  off*  the  family,  some  of 
whom  they  barbarously  murdered.  Among  these 
were  Mrs.  Waggoner  and  two  of  her  children.  Sev- 
eral of  the  children  remained  a  long  time  with  the 
Indians." 

Tecumseh  took  an  active  part  in  the  battle  between 
the  American  troops,  under  General  Wayne,  and  the 

*  Drake'«  Indian  Biography. 


UllAVEIlY    OP    TliCUMsiilt. 


W 


combined  Indian  forces,  in  1794.  But  when  tho 
treaty  was  made,  he  absented  himself.  The  following 
anecdote  is  told  of  him,  by  Anthony  Shane,  as  having 
occurred  during  this  action  : 

lie  occupied  an  advanced  position  in  the  battle, 
and  while  attempting  to  load  his  rifle,  he  pi]t  in  a 
bullet  before  the  powder,  and  was  thus  unable  to 
use  his  gun.  Being  at  this  moment  pressed  in  front 
by  some  infantry,  he  fell  back  with  his  party,  till  they 
met  another  detachment  of  Indians.  Tecumseh  urged 
them  to  stand  fast  and  fight,  saying  if  any  one  would 
lend  him  a  gun,  he  would  show  them  how  to  do  it. 
A  fowling-piece  was  handed  to  him,  with  which  he 
tbught  for  some  time,  till  the  Indians  were  again 
compelled  to  give  ground.  While  falling  back,  he 
met  another  party  of  Shawnees;  and  although  tho 
whites  ncre  pressing  on  them,  he  rallied  the  Indians, 
and  induced  them  to  make  a  stand  in  a  thicket. 
When  the  infantry  pressed  close  upon  them,  and  had 
discharged  their  muskets  into  the  bushes,  Tecumseh 
and  his  party  returned  their  fire,  and  then  retreated, 
till  they  had  joined  the  main  body  of  the  Indians 
below  the  rapids  of  the  Miami. 

At  the  time  of  the  Greenville  treaty,  Tecumseh 
was  living  on  Buck  creek,  near  where  the  city  of 
Urbana  now  stands.  A  few  years  later,  on  the  invi- 
tation of  the  Delaware^,  he  moved  '.ito  their  terri 
tory,  and  established  his  headquarters  on  the  White 
river,  in  Indiana.     Here  lor  several  years  he  devoted 

himself  to  the  pursuits  of  hunter-life;  but  his  influ- 

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WEBSTIR,N.Y.  M5M 

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186 


L1F£    AMOKd   !rtt£   IKDlAKS. 


•■  ■■ 


cnce  was  constantly  and  rapidly  extending  among 
the  Indian  tribes.  Though  not  a  party  to  the  Green- 
ville treaty,  he  had  been  so  scrupulously  exact  in 
observing  its  provisions,  that  even  among  the  whites 
he  commanded  great  confidence  and  respect. 

An  incident  which  occurred  in  1803,  v;hile  Tecum- 
seh,  with  a  party  of  Indians,  was  on  a  visit  to  Ohio, 
is  characteristic  of  the  man.  A  stout  Kentuckian 
came  to  Ohio,  for  the  purpose  of  exploring  the  lands 
on  Mad  river,  and  lodged  one  night  at  the  house  of 
Captain  Abner  Barrett,  residing  on  the  head  waters 
of  Buck  creek.  In  the  course  of  the  evening,  he 
learned,  with  apparent  alarm,  that  there  were  some 
Indians  encamped  within  a  short  distance  of  the 
bouse.  Shortly  after  hearing  this  unwelcome  intel- 
ligence, the  door  of  Captain  Barrett's  dwelling  was 
suddenly  opened,  and  Tecum seh  entered,  with  his 
usual  stately  air.  He  paused  in  silence,  and  looked 
around,  till  at  length  his  eye  was  fixed  upon  the 
stranger,  who  was  manifesting  symptoms  of  alarm, 
and  did  not  venture  to  look  the  stern  ravage  in  the 
face.  Tecumseh  turned  to  his  host,  and  pointing  to 
the  agitated  Kentuckian,  exclaimed,  "A  big  baby!  a 
big  baby !"  He  then  stepped  up  to  him,  and  gently 
slapping  him  on  the  shoulder  several  times,  repeated, 
with  a  contemptuous  manner,  the  phrase  "  big  baby ! 
')ig  baby !"  to  the  great  alarm  of  the  astonished  man, 
and  to  the  amusement  of  all  present.* 


*JaiDQa  Galloway. 


tH&    rtlOPllEt. 


187 


About  this  time  the  brother  of  Tecumseh,  gener- 
'ally  known  as  the  Prophet,  from  his  religious  pre- 
tensions, began  to  acquire  great  influence  over  the 
Indian  tribes  in  that  region.  But  the  immed^te 
cac ' :  of  excitin  T  the  hostility  of  Tecumseh  against 
the  whites,  was  the  purchase,  from  the  Delawares, 
Miamies,  and  Pottawatamies,  of  a  large  tract  in  Indi- 
ana. The  Prophet,  with  a  motley  horde,  comprising 
not  less  than  one  thousand  warriors,  gathered  from 
among  the  Shawnees,  Delawares,  Wyandotts,  Potta- 
watamies, Otiawas,  Kickjipoos,  Chippewas,  and  other 
nations,  had  "squatted"  on  this  territory,  and  refused 
to  give  it  up.  So  politic  and  wily  was  the  course  of 
the  Prophet,  that,  for  several  years,  it  was  difficult  to 
determine  whether  he  was  actually  meditating  a  com- 
bination of  the  Indians  against  the  whites,  or  whether 
he  was  to  be  regarded  simply  as  a  religious  enthu- 
siast. But  in  the  end  it  became  apparent  that  a 
more  powerful  than  the  Prophet  was  behind  the 
scenes,  directing  the  main  machinery.  This  was 
Tecumseh. 

Tlie  position  assumed  by  Tecumseh  was,  that  the 
lands  were  given  by  the  Great  Spirit  to  all  the  In- 
dians, and  that  no  one  tribe  had  a  right  to  sell  their 
lands  to  the  United  States,  without  the  consent  of  all 
the  other  tribes.  In  a  letter  to  the  Secretary  of 
War,  General  Harrison,  who  was  then  Governor  of 
the  territory  of  Indiana,  thus  speaks: 

"The  subject  of  allowing  the  Indians  of  this  coun- 
try to  consider  all  their  lan^ls  aa  common  property, 


■pw 


5- 


,  ; 


188 


LiPfi    AMONG    (Tflfi    IKDlANe. 


has  been  frequently  and  largely  discussed,  in  my 
communications  with  your  predecessor,  and  in  a  per- 
sonal interview  with  the  late  President.  The  treaties 
amde  by  me  last  fall,  ^.vere  concluded  on  principles  as 
liberal  toward  the  Indians,  as  my  knowledge  of  tlie 
views  and  opinions  of  the  Government  would  allow. 
For  although  great  latitude  of  discretion  has  always 
been  given  to  me,  I  knew  that  the  opinion  of  Mr. 
Jefferson  on  the  subject  went  so  far  as  to  assert  a 
claim  of  the  United  States,  as  lords  paramount,  to 
the  lands  of  all  extinguished  or  decayed  tribes,  to  the 
exclusion  of  all  recent  settlers.  Upon  this  principle, 
the  Miamies  are  the  only  rightful  claimants  of  all  the 
unpurchased  lands  from  the  Ohio  to  the  Illinois  and 
Mississippi  rivers.  But,  sir,  the  President  may  rest 
assured  that  the  complaint  of  injury,  with  regard  to 
the  sale  of  lands,  is  a  mere  pretense  suggested  to 
the  Prophet  by  British  partisans  and  emmissaries." 

In  August,  1810,  Tecumseh  descended  the  Wabash, 
professedly  to  hold  a  council  with  General  Harrison, 
whose  headquarters  was  at  Vincennes.  He  was  ac- 
companied by  four  hundred  Indian  warriors.  Cap- 
tain Floyd,  who  at  the  time  commanded  Fort  Knox, 
three  miles  above  Vincennes,  writing  under  date  of 
August  14,  1810,  says : 

"The  Shawnee  Indians  have  come;  they  passed 
this  garrison,  which  is  three  miles  above  Vincennes, 
on  Sunday  last,  in  eighty  canoes;  they  were  all 
painted  in  the  most  terrific  manner.  They  were 
atopped  at  the  garrison  by  me,  for  a  short  time.    } 


0»'>VERNOR    HARRISON. 


180 


examined  their  canoes  and  found  them  well  prepared 
for  war,  in  case  of  an  attack.  They  were  headed  by 
the  brother  of  the  Prophet — Tecumsch — who,  per- 
haps, is  one  of  the  finest-looking  men  I  ever  saw — 
about  six  feet  high,  straight,  with  large,  fine  features, 
and  altogether  a  daring,  bold-looking  fellow." 

On  the  next  day  the  council  was  held.  The  deeply- 
thrilling  incident  Avhich  occurred  during  the  council, 
and  its  influence  in  giving  direction  to  subsequent 
events,  possess  great  interest.  I  therefore  subjoin 
an  account  of  it,  as  given  by  Benjamin  Drake. 

Governor  Harrison  had  made  arrangements  for 
holding  the  council  on  the  portico  of  his  own  house, 
which  had  been  fitted  up  with  seats  for  the  occasion. 
Here,  on  the  morning  of  the  fifteenth,  he  awaited  the 
arrival  of  the  chief,  being  attended  by  the  judges  of 
the  Supreme  Court,  some  officers  of  the  army,  a  ser- 
geant, and  twelve  men,  from  Fort  Knox,  and  a  large 
number  of  citizens.  At  the  appointed  hour,  Tecum- 
sch, supported  by  forty  of  liis  principal  warriors, 
made  his  appearance,  the  remainder  of  his  follow- 
ers being  encamped  in  the  village  and  its  environs. 
When  the  chief  had  approached  within  thirty  or  forty 
yards  of  the  house,  he  suddenly  stopped,  as  if  await- 
ing some  advances  from  the  Governor.  An  inter- 
preter was  sent,  requesting  him  and  his  followers  to 
take  seats  on  the  portico.  To  this  Tecum seh  ob- 
jected; he  did  not  think  the  place  a  suitable  one 
for  holding  the  conference,  but  preferred  that  it 
should  take  place  in  a  grove  of  trees — to  which  he 


190 


LIFE    AMONa    THE    INDIANS. 


pointed — standing  a  short  distance  from  the  house. 
The  Governor  said  ho  had  no  objection  to  the  grovo, 
except  that  there  were  no  seats  in  it  for  their  accom- 
modation. Tccumsch  replied,  that  constituted  no  ob- 
jection to  the  grove,  the  earth  being  the  most  suit- 
able place  for  the  Indians,  who  loved  to  repose  upon 
the  bosom  of  their  mother.  The  Govornor  yielded 
the  point,  and  the  benches  and  chairs  having  been 
removed  to  the  spot,  the  conference  was  begun,  the 
Indians  being  seated  on  the  grass. 

Tecumseh  opened  the  meeting  by  stating  at  length 
his  objections  to  the  treaty  of  Fort  Wayne,  made  by 
Governor  Harrison  in  the  previous  year ;  and,  in  the 
course  of  his  speech,  boldly  avowed  the  principle  of 
his  party  to  be  that  of  resistance  to  every  cession 
of  land,  unless  made  by  all  the  tribes,  who,  he  con- 
tended, formed  but  .one  nation.  He  admitted  that 
he  had  threatened  to  kill  the  chiefs  who  signed  the 
treaty  of  Fort  Wayne ;  and  that  it  was  his  fixed  de- 
termination not  to  permit  the  village  chiefs  in  future 
to  manage  their  affairs,  but  to  place  the  power  with 
which  they  had  been  heretofore  invested  in  the  hands 
of  the  >var  chiefs.  The  Americans,  he  said,  had 
driven  the  Indians  from  the  sea-coast,  and  would 
soon  push  them  into  the  lakes;  and  while  Jie  dis- 
claimed all  intention  of  making  war  upon  the  United 
States,  he  declared  it  to  be  his  unalterable  resolu- 
tion to  take  a  stand,  and  resolutely  oppose  the  fur- 
ther intrusion  of  the  whites  upon  the  Indian  lands. 
IIq  ponpluded,  by  making  a  bri^f  but  impassioned 


RKPLY     TO    TECUM6EII. 


m 


recital  of  tlie  various  wrongs  and  aggrv  sions  in- 
flicted by  the  white  men  upon  the  Indians  .rom  the 
cominonccmcnt  of  the  Revolutionary  war  down  to 
the  period  of  that  council,  all  of  which  was  calcu- 
lated to  arouse  and  inflame  the  minds  of  such  of  his 
followers  as  were  present. 

The  Governor  rose  in  reply,  and  in  examining  the 
right  of  Tecumseh  and  his  party  to  make  objections 
to  the  treaty  of  Fort  Wayne,  took  occasion  to  say, 
that  the  Indians  were  not  one  nation,  having  a  com- 
mon property  in  the  lands.  The  Miamies,  he  con- 
tended, were  the  real  owners  of  the  tract  on  the 
Wabash,  ceded  by  the  late  treaty,  and  the  Shawnees 
had  no  right  to  interfere  in  the  case ;  that,  upon  the 
arrival  of  the  whites  on  this  continent,  they  had  found 
the  Miamies  in  possession' of  this  land,  the  Shawnees 
being  then  residents  of  Georgia,  from  which  they  had 
been  driven  by  the  Creeks,  and  that  it  was  ridicu- 
lous to  assert  that  the  red  men  constituted  but  one 
nation;  for,  if  such  had  been  the  intention  of  the 
Great  Spirit,  he  would  not  have  put  difierent  tongues 
in  their  heads,  but  have  taught  them  all  to  speak  the 
same  language. 

The  Governor  having  taken  his  seat,  the  inter- 
preter commenced  explaining  the  speech  to  Tecum- 
seh, who,  after  listening  to  a  portion  of  it,  sprung  to 
his  feet,  and  began  to  speak  with  great  vehemence  of 
manner. 

The  Governor  was  surprised  at  his  violent  ges- 
tures, but  as  he  di4  not  understand  him,  thought  h« 


HH 


^■^1^^ 


102 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


was  making  some  cxplnnation,  and  suffered  his  attcn* 
tion  to  be  drawn  toward  Winnemac,  a  friendly  Indian 
lying  on  the  grass  before  him,  who  was  renewing 
the  priming  of  his  pistol,  which  he  had  kept  con- 
cealed from  the  other  Indians,  but  in  full  view  of 
the  Governor.  His  attention,  however,  was  again 
directed  to  Tecumseh,  by  hearing  General  Gibson, 
who  was  intimately  acquainted  with  the  Shawnee  lan- 
guage, say  to  Lieutenant  Jennings,  "Those  fellows 
intend  mischief;  you  had  better  bring  up  the  guard." 
At  that  moment,  the  followers  of  Tecumseh  seized 
their  tomahawks  and  war  clubs,  and  sprang  upon 
their  feet,  their  eyes  turned  upon  the  Governor.  As 
soon  as  ho  could  disengage  himself  from  the  armed 
chair  in  which  he  sat,  he  rose,  drew  a  small  sword 
which  he  had  by  his  side,  and  stood  on  the  defensive. 
Captain  G.  R.  Floyd,  of  the  army,  who  stood  near 
him,  drew  a  dirk,  and  the  chief,  Winnemac,  cocked 
his  pistol.  The  citizens  present  were  more  numerous 
than  the  Indians,  but  were  unarmed;  some  of  them 
procured  clubs  and  brickbats,  and  also  stood  on  the 
defensive.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Winans,  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  ran  to  the  Governor's  house,  obtained  a  gun, 
and  posted  himself  at  the  door  to  defend  the  family. 
During  this  singular  scene  no  one  spoke  till  the  guard 
came  running  up,  and  appearing  to  be  in  the  act  of 
firing,  the  Governor  ordered  them  not  to  do  so.  Ho 
then  demanded  of  the  interpreter  an  explanation  of 
what  had  happened,  who  replied  that  Tecumseh  had 
interrupted  him,  declaring  that  all  the  Governor  had 


•,r";,;"T 


A    SECOND    INTERVIEW. 


1P8 


said  was  fahe;  and  that  he  and  the  Seventeen  Fires 
had  cheated  and  imposed  on  the  Indians^' 

The  Governor  then  told  Tecuinsch  that  he  was  a 
bad  man,  and  that  he  would  hold  no  further  commu- 
nication with  him ;  that  as  he  had  come  to  Yinccnncs 
under  the  protection  of  a  council-fire,  he  might  re- 
turn in  safety,  but  that  he  must  immediately  leave 
the  village.  Here  the  council  terminated.  During 
the  night  two  companies  of  militia  were  brought  in 
from  the  country,  and  that  belonging  to  the  town  was 
also  embodied.  Next  morning  Tecumseh  requested 
the  Governor  to  afford  him  an  opportunity  of  ex- 
plaining his  conduct  on  the  previous  day — declaring 
that  he  did  not  intend  to  attack  the  Governor,  and 
that  he  had  acted  under  the  advice  of  some  of  the 
white  people.  The  Governor  consented  to  another 
interview,  it  being  understood  that  each  party  should 
have  the  same  armed  force  as  on  the  previous  day. 
On  this  occasion  the  deportment  of  Tecumseii  was 
respectful  and  dignified.  He  again  denied  having 
had  any  intention  to.  make  an  attack  upon  the  Gov- 
ernor, and  declared  that  he  had  been  stimulated  to 
the  course  he  had  taken  by  two  white  men,  who 
assured  him  that  one-half  of  the  citizens  were  op- 
posed to  the  Governor,  and  willing  to  restore  the 
land  in  question ;  that  the  Governor  would  soon  be 
put  out  of  ofiice,  and  a  good  man  sent  to  fill  his 
place,  who  would  give  up  the  land  to  the  Indians. 


*Daw8un'8  Historical  NarratiTe. 
13 


'  ^y  «j , V7*"-W mt   i^,yp^^|i^ii«w 


■  ^''g'-^--:'_-^^W'J'i^w^vvH  ypjyuwj^iwwpwiii^ 


194 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


When  asked  by  the  Governor  whether  he  intended  to 
resist  the  survey  of  these  lands,  Tecumseh  replied 
that  he  and  his  followers  were  resolutely  determined 
to  insist  upon  the  old  boundary.  When  he  had  taken 
his  seat,  chiefs  from  the  Wyandotts,  Kickapoos,  Pot- 
tawatamies,  Ottawas,  and  Winnebagoes,  spoke  in  suc- 
cession, and  distinctly  avowed  that  they  had  entered 
into  the  Shawnee  confederacy,  and  were  determined 
to  support  the  principles  laid  down  by  their  leader. 
The  Governor,  in  conclusion,  stated  that  he  would 
make  known  to  the  President  the  claims  of  Tecumseh 
and  his  party  to  the  land  in  question;  but  that  ho 
was  satisfied  the  Government  would  never  admit  that 
the  lands  on  the  Wabash  were  the  property  of  any 
.other  tribes  than  those  who  occupied  them,  when  the 
white  people  first  arrived  in  America;  and,  as  the 
title  to  these  lands  had  been  derived  by  purchase 
from  those  tribes,  he  might  rest  assured  that  the 
right  of  the  United  States  would  be  sustained  by 
the  sword.     Here  the  council  adjourned. 

On  the  following  day  Governor  Harrison  visited 
Tecumseh  in  his  camp,  attended  only  by  the  inter- 
preter, and  was  very  politely  received.  A  long  con- 
versation ensued,  in  which  Tecumseh  again  declared 
that  his  intentions  were  really  such  as  he  had  avowed 
them  to  be  in  the  council;  that  *be  policy  which  tlie 
United  States  pursued,  of  purchasing  lands  from  the 
Indians,  he  viewed  as  a  mighty  water,  ready  to  over- 
flow his  people;  and  that  the  confederacy  which  he 
was  forming  among  the  tribes  to  prevent  any  indi- 


COUNCIL    CONCLUDED. 


195 


isited 
inter- 
r  con- 
clared 

Hvowed 
ch  the 

■)ra  thti 
>  over- 
ich  he 
y  iu(U- 


ridual  tribe  from  selling  without  the  consent  of  the 
otherj».  was  the  dam  he  was  erecting  to  resist  this 
mighty  water.  lie  stated  further,  that  he  should  be 
reluctantly  drawn  into  a  war  with  the  United  States; 
and  that  if  he,  the  Governor,  would  induce  the  Presi- 
dent to  give  up  the  lands. lately  purchased,  and  agree 
never  to  make  another  treaty  without  the  consent  of 
all  the  tribes,  he  would  be  their  faithful  ally,  and 
assist  them  in  the  war,  which  he  knew  was  about  to 
take  place  with  England ;  that  he  preferred  being  the 
ally  of  the  Seventeen  Fires,  but  if  they  did  not  com- 
ply with  his  request,  he  would  be  compelled  to  unite 
with  the  British.  The  Governor  replied,  that  he 
would  make  known  his  views  to  the  President,  but 
that  there  was  no  probability  of  their  being  agreed 
to.  "Well,"  said  Tecumseh,  "as  the  great  Chief  is 
to  determine  the  matter,  I  hope  the  Great  Spirit  will 
put  sense  enough  into  his  head  to  induce  him  to  give 
up  this  land;  it  is  true,  he  is  so  far  off  he  will  not 
be  injured  by  the  war;  he  may  sit  still  in  his  town 
and  drink  his  wine,  while  you  and  I  will  have  to  fight 
it  out."  This  prophecy,  it  will  bo  seen,  was  literally 
fulfilled ;  and  the  great  chieftain  who  uttered  it,  at- 
tested that  fulfillment  with  his  blood.  The  Governor, 
in  conclusion,  proposed  to  Tecumseh,  that  in  the  event 
of  hostilities  between  the  Indians  and  the  United 
States,  he  should  use  his  influence  to  put  an  end  to 
the  cruel  mode  of  warfare  which  the  Indians  were 
accustomed  to  wage  upon  womon  and  children,  or 
upon  prisoners.     To  this  he  cheerfully  assented;  and 


106 


LIFE    AMONa    THE    INDIANS. 


it  is  'luo  to  the  inuinory  of  Tocuinseli  to  inUl,  that  he 
faitlifuliy  kept  liis  promise  down  to  the  period  of  liid 
death. ^' 

Whether  in  this  council  Tecumseh  really  meditated 
treachery,  or  only  intended  to  intimidate  the  Gov- 
ernor, must  remain  a  matter  of  conjecture.  If  the 
former,  his  force  of  four  hundred  well-armed  war- 
riors was  srfllicicnt  to  have  murdered  the  inhabit- 
ants and  sacked  the  town,  which  at  that,  time  did 
not  contain  more  than  one  thousand  persons,  includ- 
ing women  and  children. 

When,  in  the  prog:  ^s  of  the  conference,  he  and 
his  forty  followers  sprung  to  their  arms,  there  would 
have  been,  in  all  probability,  a  corresponding  move- 
ment with  the  remainder  of  his  warriors  encamped 
in  and  around  the  village,  had  he  seriously  contem- 
plated an  attack  upon  the  Governor  and  the  inhabit- 
ants; but  this  does  not  appear  to  have  been  the  case. 
It  is  probable,  therefore,  that  Tecumseh,  in  visiting 
Vincennes  with  so  large  a  body  of  followers,  ex- 
pected to  make  a  strong  impression  upon  the  whites 
as  to  the  extent  of  his  influence  among  the  Indians, 
and  the  strength  of  his  party.  His  movement  in  the 
council  may  have  been  concerted  for  the  purpose  of 
intimidating  the  Governor;  but  the  more  probable 
supposition  is,  that  in  the  excitement  of  the  moment, 


*In  Marshall's  History  of  Kontiicky,  vol.  2,  p.^482,  there  is  a  speech 
quoted  as  having  been  delivered  by  Tecumseh  at  this  oounoil.  Wo  are 
anthori^od,  on  the  best  authority,  to  say  that  it  is  a  sheer  fabrioaiioo. 
N.>  sueh  speech  was  delivered  by  hiua  at  the  council. 


,,vi'^>^^ 


THE    STORM    OATIIERINO. 


197 


producc'tl  I)}'  the  speech  of  the  Governor,  he  lost  liis 
self-possession,  and  involuntiirily  phiced  his  hand 
upon  his  war  club,  in  which  movement  he  was  fol- 
lowed by  the  wiirriors  around  him,  without  any  pre- 
vious intention  of  proceeding  to  extremities.  What- 
ever may  have  been  the  fact,  the  bold  chieftain  found 
in  Governor  Harrison  a  firmness  of  purpose  and  an 
intrepidity  of  manner  which  must  have  convinced 
him  that  nothing  was  to  be  gained  by  an  effort  at 
intimidation,  however  daring. 

From  this  time  forward,  the  Indiana,  under  the 
leadership  of  Tecumseh  aiid  his  brother,  the  Prophet, 
began  to  assume  a  still  more  decidedly  hostile  atti- 
tude. The  great  belt  was  sent  round  to  all  the 
neighboring  tribes,  and  they  were  invited  to  unite 
in  a  confederacy  "to  confine  the  great  water,  and 
prevent  it  from  overflowing  them."  By  instigating 
their  hostility,  by  working  upon  their  superstition, 
and,  more  than  all,  by  wresting  the  power  from  the 
hands  of  their  old  and  wise  chiefs,  and  putting  it. 
into  the  hands  of  the  war  chiefs,  who  were  young 
and  fiery,  most  of  the  tribes  were  brought  into  this 
alliance. 

It  must  be  admitted  that  the  Indians  had  too  many 
just  causes  for  complaint.  Not  only  was  "  the  great 
water"  in  danger  of  overflowing  them,  but  they  were 
often  subjected  to  indignities  and  wrongs,  and  when 
they  sought  redress  it  was  too  often  in  vain.  Gov- 
ernor Harrison,  in  a  letter,  acknowledges  this:  "I 
wish  I  could  say,"  says  he,  "that  the  Indians  were 


ii 


II "I  J""    I  -"'■■^^^^■ipppwflwtnIPP 


mmmfmm 


mtmmm'immmimm 


198 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


treated  witli  justice  aiitl  propriety  on  all  occasions 
by  our  citizens;  but  it  is  far  otherwise.  They  are 
often  abused  and  maltreated,  and  it  is  very  rare  that 
they  obtain  any  satisfaction  for  the  most  unprovokea 
wrongs."  The  Governor  then  gives  an  account  of  an 
Indian,  who  was  killed,  without  any  just  provocation, 
by  an  innkeeper,  in  Vincennes.  The  Governor  had 
the  murderer  arrested  and  tried,  but  the  jury  ac- 
quitted him  instantly,  and  almost  without  any  delib- 
eration. We  can  not  wonder  that  the  Indians,  in 
turn,  retaliated,  not  only  by  perpetrating  cruelties, 
but  also  by  screening  offenders. 

Governor  Harrison,  seeing  the  storm  gathering,  ob- 
tained from  the  General  Government  a  military  force 
to  enable  him  to  meet  the  emergency;  but  first  of 
all,  transmitted  to  Tecumseh  and  the  Prophet  an  ad- 
dress or  speech.  This  was  the  last  of  June,  in  1811, 
when,  with  other  chiefs,  and  a  large  Indian  force,  they 
were  at  Tippecanoe.     The  following  is  the  speech : 

*'  Brothers,  listen  to  me.  I  speak  to  you  about 
matters  of  importance,  both  to  the  white  people  and 
yourselves ;  open  your  ears,  therefore,  and  attend  to 
what  I  shall  say. 

"  Brothers,  this  is  the  third  year  that  all  the  white 
people  in  this  country  have  been  alarmed  at  your 
proceedings;  you  threaten  us  with  war,  you  invite 
all  the  tribes  to  the  north  and  west  of  you  to  join 
against  us. 

"Brothers,  your  warriors  who  have  lately  beeil  here 
deny  this;  but  I  have  received  the  information  from 


t     o-    t 


HARRISONS    SPEECH. 


199 


white 

your 

invite 


from 


every  direction;  the  tribes  on  the  Mississippi  have 
sent  me  word  that  you  intended  to  murder  me,  and 
then  to  commence  a  war  upon  our  people.  I  have 
also  received  the  speech  you  sent  to  the  Pottawata- 
mies  and  others,  to  join  you  for  that  purpose;  but 
if  I  had  no  other  evidence  of  your  hostility  to  us, 
your  seizing  the  salt  I  lately  sent  up  the  Wabash,  is 
sufficient.  • 

"  Brothers,  our  citizens  are  alarmed,  and  my  war- 
riors are  preparing  themselves ;  not  to  strike  you, 
but  to  defend  themselves  and  their  women  and  chil- 
dren. You  shall  not  surprise  us  as  you  expect  to 
do ;  you  are  about  to  undertake  a  very  rash  act ;  as 
a  fric  id,  I  advise  yoii  to  consider  well  of  it :  a  little 
reflection  may  save  us  a  great  deal  of  trouble,  and 
prevent  much  mischief;  it  is  not  yet  too  late. 

"  Brothers,  what  can  oe  the  inducement  for  you  to 
undertake  an  enterprise,  when  there  is  so  little  prob- 
ability of  success?  Do  you  really  think  that  the 
handful  of  men  that  you  have  about  you,  are  able  to 
contend  with  the  Seventeen  Fires,  or  even  that  the 
whole  of  the  tribes  united,  could  contend  against  the 
Kentucky  Fire  alone  ? 

"  Brothers,  I  am  myself  of  the  long-knife  fire ;  as 
soon  as  they  hear  my-  voice,  you  will  see  them  pour- 
ing forth  their  swarms  of  hunting-shirt  men,  as  nu- 
merous as  the  musketoes  on  the  shores  of  the  Wa- 
bash.    Brothers,  take  care  of  their  stings. 

"  Brothers,  it  is  not  our  wish  to  hurt  you ;  if  we 
did,  we  certainly  have  power  to  do  it.    Look  at  the 


^^mmmn 


^i<>><"*""H"P"*"iiinpppppiPMnpiBi 


200 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


number  of  our  warriors  to  the  east  of  you,  above  an  ] 
below  the  Great  Miami — to  the  south,  on  both  sides 
of  the  Ohio,  and  below  you  also.  You  are  brave 
men ;  but  what  could  you  do  against  such  a  multi- 
tude?— but  we  wish  you  to  live  in  peace  and  hap- 
piness. 

"  Brothers,  the  citizens  of  this  country  are  alarmed ; 
they  must  be  satisfied  that  you  have  no  design  to  do 
them  mischief,  or  they  will  not  lay  aside  their  arms. 
You  have  also  insulted  the  Government  of  the  United 
States,  by  seizing  the  salt  that  was  intended  for  other 
tribes ;  satisfaction  must  be  given  for  that  also. 

"  Brothers,  you  talk  of  coming  to  see  me,  attended 
by  all  your  young  men;  this,  however,  must  not  be 
so.  If  your  intentions  are  good,  you  have  no  need 
to  bring  but  a  few  of  your  young  men  with  you.  ] 
must  be  plain  with  you ;  I  will  not  suffer  you  to  come 
into  our  settlements  with  such  a  force. 

"  Brothers,  if  you  wish  to  satisfy  us  that  your  in- 
tentions are  good,  follow  the  advice  that  I  have  given 
you  before ;  tliat  is,  that  one  or  both  of  you  should 
visit  the  President  of  the  United  States,  and  lay 
your  grievances  before  him.  He  will  treat  you  well, 
will  listen  to  what  you  say;  and  if  you  can  show  that 
you  have  been  injured,  you  will  receive  justice.  If 
you  will  follow  my  advice  in  this  respect,  it  will  con- 
vince the  citizens  of  this  country  and  myself  that 
you  ha  e  no  design  to  attack  them. 

"  Brothers,  with  respect  to  the  lands  that  were 
purchased  last  fall,  I  can  enter  into  no  negotiations 


wm 


TECUMSEH    S    REPLY. 


201 


ir  m- 
Igivcn 
Ihould 
lay 
well, 
tlr.it 
If 
con- 
that 

were 
itioQB 


\\ 


vith  you  on  that  subject ;  the  affair  is  in  the  hands 
of  the  President;  if  you  wish  to  go  and  see  him  I 
will  supply  you  with  the  means. 

"Brothers,  the  person  who  delivers  this  is  one  of 
my  war  oflficers.  He  is  a  man  in  whom  I  have  entire 
confidence.  Whatever  he  says  lo  you,  although  it 
may  not  be  contained  in  this  paper,  you  mtiy  believe 
comes  from  me. 

"  My  friend  Tecuraseh,  the  bearer  is  a  good  man 
and  a  brave  warrior.  I  hope  you  will  treat. him  well. 
You  are  yourself  a  warrior,  and  all  such  should  have 
esteem  for  each  other." 

Tecumseh  to  the  Governor  of  Indiana,  in  reply : 

"Brother,  I  give  you  a  few  words  till  I  will  be 
with  you  myself. 

"Brother,  at  Vincennes,  I  wish  you  to  listen  to  me 
while  I  send  you  a  few  words,  and  I  hope  they  will 
ease  your  heart;  I  know  you  look  on  your  young 
men,  and  young  women,  and  children,  with  pity,  to 
see  them  so  much  alarmed. 

"Brother,  I  wish  you  now  to  examine  what  you 
have  from  me ;  I  hope  that  it  will  be  a  satisfaction 
to  you,  if  your  intentions  are  like  mine,  to  wash 
away  all  these  bad  stories  that  have  been  circulated. 
I  will  be  with  you  myself  in  eighteen  days  from  this 


"Brother,  we  can  not  say  what  will  become  of  us, 
as  the  Great  Spirit  has  the  management  of  us  all  at 
his  will.  I  may  be  there  before  the  time,  and  may 
not  be  there  till  the  day.     I  hope  that  when  we  come 


iijlw^jij^.i)iwi;ipiMii  >rMv^minm^ffmmmHmmim 


mmmmmimmmmiiiiim 


202 


LIFE    AMONO    THE    INDIANS. 


together,  all  these  bad  tales  will  be  settled;  by  this 
I  hope  your  young  men,  women,  and  children,  will 
be  easy.  I  wish  you,  brother,  to  let  them  know  when 
I  come  to  Vincennes  and  see  you,  all  will  be  settled 
in  peace  and  happiness. 

"  Brother,  these  are  only  a  few  words,  to  let  you 
know  that  I  will  be  with  you  myself,  and  when  I  am 
with  you  I  can  inform  you  better. 

"Brother,  if  I  find  that  I  can  be  with  you  in  less 
time  than  eighteen  days,  I  will  send  one  of  my  young 
men  before  me,  to  let  you  knoyf  what  time  I  will  bo 
with  you." 

Indian  murders  and  robberies  were  now  becoming 
alarmingly  frequent.  The  whole  frontier  was  in  a 
state  of  high  excitement;  and  the  inhabitants  were 
already  taking  measures  to  defend  themselves,  as  well 
as  to  punish  the  hostile  tribes. 

In  July  of  this  year  another  council  was  held  with 
Tecumseh,  but  to  no  purpose.  Immediately  after  its 
close,  Tecumseh  left  for  the  south,  where  he  visited 
the  Creeks,  Choctaws,  Seminolcs,  and  other  tribes. 
Mr.  Hodgson  gathered  the  following  incident  of  this 
visit,  when  he  subsequently  traveled  ,through  that 
country.* 

"Our  host  told  me  that  he  was  living  with  Lis 
Indian  wife  among  the  Creeks,  when  the  celebrated 
Indian  warrior,  Tecumseh,  came  more  than  one  thou- 
sand miles,  from  the  borders  of  Canada,  to  induce 


*  "  Letters  from  North  Amerioft." 


TECCMStU    AND    BIG    WARlllOR. 


203 


the  lower  Creeks  to  promise  to  take  up  the  hatchet 
m  behalf  of  the  British  against  the  Americans,  and 
the  upper  Creeks,  ^vhenever  he  should  require  it; 
that  he  was  present  at  the  midnight  convocation  of 
the  chiefs,  which  was  held  on  that  occasion,  and  which 
terminated  after  a  most  impressive  speech  from  Te- 
cumseh,  with  a  unanimous  determination  to  take  up 
the  hatchet,  whenever  he  should  call  upon  them. 
This  was  at  least  a  year  before  the  declaration  of  the 
last  war." 

In  the  "  History  of  the  Tribes  of  North  America," 
we  find  another  incident,  bold  and  characteristic: 

"  Arriving  at  Tuckhabatchee,  a  Creek  town,  on  the 
Tallapoosa  river,  he  made  his  way  to  the  lodge  of 
the  chief,  called  the  Big  Warrior.  He  explained  his 
object,  delivered  his  war-talk,  presented  a  bundle  of 
sticks,  gave  a  piece  of  wampum  and  a  hatchet;  all 
which,  the  Big  Warrior  took.  When  Tecumseh,  read- 
ing the  intentions  and  spirit  of  the  Big  Warrior, 
looked  him  in  the  eye,  and  pointing  his  finger  toward 
his  face,  said,  '  Your  blood  is  white ;  you  have  taken 
my  talk,  and  the  sticks,  and  the  wampum,  and  the 
hatchet,  but  you  do  not  mean  to  fight ;  I  know  the 
reason ;  you  do  not  believe,  the  Great  Spirit  has  sent 
me ;  you  shiill  know.  I  leave  Tuckhabatchee  directly, 
and  shall  go  straight  to  Detroi*^ ;  when  I  arrive  there, 
1  will  stamp  on  the  ground  with  my  foot,  and  shake  , 
down  every  house  in  TucTchabatchee.'  So  saying,  he 
turned  and  left  the  Big  Warrior  in  utter  amazement, 
at  both  his  manner  and  his  threat,  and  pursued  his 


r-^:"7"\-:j3y^^,7: 


204 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


journey.  The  Indians  were  struck  no  less  with  his 
conduct  than  was  the  Big  Warrior,  and  began  to 
dread  the  arrival  of  the  day  'when  the  threatened 
calamity  would  befall  them.  They  met  often,  and 
talked  over  this  matter,  and  counted  the  days  care- 
fully, to  know  the  time  when  Tecumseh  would  reach 
Detroit.  The  morning  they  had  fixed  upon,  as  tlio 
period  of  his  arrival,  at  last  came.  A  mighty  rum- 
bling was  heard — the  Indians  all  ran  out  of  their 
houses — the  earth  began  to  shake;  when,  at  last,  sure 
enough,  every  house  in  Tuckhabatchee  was  shaken 
down !  The  exclamation  was  in  every  mouth,  '  Te- 
cumseh has  got  to  Detroit!'  The  effect  was  elec- 
trical. The  message  he  had  delivered  to  the  Big 
Warrior  was  believed,  and  many  of  the  Indians  took 
their  rifles  and  prepared  for  the  war. 

"  The  reader  will  not  be  surprised  to  learn  that  an 
earthquake  had  produced  all  this;  but  he  will  be, 
doubtless,  that  it  should  happen  on  the  very  day  on 
which  Tecumseh  arrived  at  Detroit,  and  in  exact 
fulfillment  of  his  threat.  It  was  the  famous  earth- 
quake of  Now  Madrid,  on  the  Mississippi.  We  re- 
ceived the  foregoing  from  the  lips  of  the  Indians, 
w  en  wc  were  at  Tuckhabatchee,  in  1827,  and  near 
the  residence  of  the  Big  Warrior." 

Wliile  Tecumseh  was  in  the  south,  the  Indian  ag- 
gressions and  warlike  preparations  still  continuing. 
Governor  Harrison  resolved  to  penetrate  to  the  Proph- 
et's town,  and,  if  possible,  bring  about  some  amicable 
adjustment  of  ex'sting  difficulties.     Accordingly,  at 


TIPPECANOE. 


2ori 


^g- 


'g- 


ai 


the  head  of  about  nine  hundred  troops,  he  encamped 
on  the  6th  of  November,  1811,  within  a  mile  of  the 
Prophet's  headquarters.  Some  intercourse  was  had, 
in  which  the  Prophet  still  assured  the  Governor  of 
his  peaceable  intentions,  and  his  willingness  to  adjust 
all  questions  of  difference.  Notwithstanding  all  this, 
at  4  o'clock  the  next  morning,  the  Indians,  one  thou- 
sand strong,  commenced  a  sudden  attack  upon  the 
American  camp.  They  found  the  troops  ready  for 
them,  and  after  a  well-fought  and  bloody  battle,  suf- 
fered a  signal  defeat. 

The  defeated  Indians,  says  Mr.  Drake,  were  greatly 
exasperated  with  the  Prophet;  they  reproached  hnn 
in  bitter  terms  for  the  calamity  he  had  brought  upon 
them,  and  accused  him  of  the  murder  of  their  friends 
who  had  fallen  in  the  action.  It  seems,  that  after 
pronouncing  some  incantations  over  a  certain  com- 
position, which  he  had  prepared  on  the  night  pre- 
ceding the  action,  he  assured  his  followers  that,  by 
the  power  of  his  art,  half  of  the  invading  army  was 
already  dead,  and  the  other  half  in  a  state  of  dis- 
traction; and  that  the  Indians  would  have  little  to 
do  but  rush  into  their  camp,  and  complete  the  work 
of  destruction  with  their  tomahawks.  "  You  are  a 
liar,"  said  one  of  the  surviving  Winnebagoes  to  him, 
after  the  action,  "for  you  told  us  that  the  white 
people  were  dead,  or  crazy,  when  they  were  all  in 
their  senses,  and  fought  like  the  devil."  The  Prophet 
appeared  dejected,  and  sought  to  excuse  himself  on 
the  plea  that  the  virtue  of  his  composition  had  been 


206 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


lost  by  a  circumstance  of  which  he  had  no  knowledge 
till  after  the  battle  was  over.  His  sacred  character, 
however,  was  so  far  forfeited  that  tlje  Indians  actually 
bound  him  with  cords,  and  threatened  to  put  him 
to  death.  After  leaving  the  Prophet's  town,  they 
marched  about  twenty  miles,  and  encamped  on  the 
bank  of  Wild  Cat  creek. 

With  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe  the  Prophet  lost 
his  popularity  and  power  among  the  Indians.  His 
magic  wand  was  broken,  and  the  mysterious  charm 
by  means  of  which  he  had,  for  yeavs,  played  upon 
the  superstitious  minds  of  this  wild  people,  scat- 
tered through  a  vast  extent  of  country,  was  dissi- 
pated forever.* 

Tecumseh  returned  from  the  south  through  Mis- 
souri,  visited  the  tribes  on  the  Des  Moines,  and 
crossing  the  head  waters  of  the  Illinois,  reached  the 
Wabash  a  few  days  after  the  disastrous  battle  of  Tip- 
pecanoe. It  is  believed  that  he  made  a  strong  im- 
pression upon  all  the  tribes  visited  by  him  in  his 
extended  mission;  and  that  he  had  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  numerous  accessions  to  his  confederacy.  He 
reached  the  banks  of  the  Tippecanoe  just  in  time  to 
witness  the  dispersion  of  his  followers,  the  disgrace  of 
his  brother,  and  the  final  overthrow  of  the  great  ob- 
ject of  his  ambition — ^a  union  of  all  the  Indian  tribes 
against  the  United  States;  and  all  this  the  result  of  a 
disregard  to  his  positive  commands.     His  mortifica- 


*  Life  of  Tecumseh 


TECl'MSEIIS    PROFESSIONS. 


207 


tion  was  extreme;  and  it  is  related,  on  good  author- 
ity, that  when  he  first  met  the  Prophet  he  reproached 
him  in  hitter  terms  for  having  departed  from  liis 
nistructions,  to  preserve  peace  with  the  United  States 
at  all  hazards.  The  attempt  of  the  Prophet  to  pal- 
liate his  own  conduct,  excited  the  haughty  chieftain 
still  more,  and  seizing  him  by  the  hair,  and  shaking 
him  violently,  he  threatened  to  take  his  life.* 

Still  Tecumseh  kept  up  his  professions  of  peace, 
and,  even  at  the  council  held  in  the  ensuing  May,  ho 
"defied  any  living  creature  to  say  that  he  had  ever 
advised  any  one,  directly  or  indirectly,  to  make  war 
upon  the  whites."  He  said  it  had  constantly  been  his 
misfortune  to  be  misrepresented  to  his  white  breth- 
ren. "  Governor  Harrison,"  he  added,  "  made  war 
on  my  people  in  my  albsence :  it  was  the  will  of  God 
that  he  should  do  so.  We  hope  it  will  please  God 
that  the  white  people  will  let  us  live  in  peace.  We  will 
not  disturb  them;  neither  have  we  done  it,  except 
when  they  came  to  our  village  with  the  intention  of 
destroying  us.  We  are  happy  to  state  to  our  brothers 
present  that  the  unfortunate  transaction  that  took 
place  between  the  white  people  and  a  few  of  our 
young  men  at  our  village,  has  been  settled  between 
us  and  Governor  Harrison;  and  I  will  further  state, 
that  had  I  been  at  home,  there  would  have  been  no 
bloodshed  at  that  tir -e." 

How  much  reliance  was  to  be  placed  in  these  dec- 


•  Life  of  Tecumseh. 


208 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


larutions  will  appear  from  the  fact  that  when  he  left 
the  council-house,  ho  took  his  departure  for  MaldeL, 
and  then  joined  the  British  standard. 


VAR    DECLARED. 


20J 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


DEATH   OF   TECUMSEH. 

Ox  the  18th  of  June,  1812,  Congress  maile  a  for- 
mal declaration  of  war  against  Great  Britain.  Te- 
cumseh  was  now  at  Maiden,  the  principal  encampment 
of  the  British,  at  the  head  of  his  warriors,  ready  f  >r 
the  conflict.  Some  of  the  neighboring  IntUans  were 
inclined  to  remain  neutral,  and  invited  Tecumseh  to 
attend  their  council.  He  replied  indignantly,  ".N«^, 
I  have  taken  sides  with  the  king,  my  father;  and  I 
will  suffer  my  bones  to  bleach  upon  this  shore  before 
I  recross  that  stream,"  pointing  to  the  Detroit  river, 
"to  join  in  any  council  of  neutrality." 

But  the  rod  of  his  power  was  broken  at  the  battle 
of  Tippecanoe.  His  plans  were  disconcerted;  and 
the  prospect  of  combining  the  various  Indian  tribes 
into  one  ^rand  confederacy  had  forever  passed  away. 
But  his  purpose  was  unalterably  fixed.  The  vindi- 
cation of  what  he  conceived  to  be  the  rights  of  his 
people,  or  death  in  the  struggle,  were  the  alternatives 
which  he  surveyed  with  cool,  unblanching  eye. 

At  the  head  of  his  Indians,  Tecumseh  crossed  over 

to  Brownstown,  where,  on  the  5th  of  August,  he  sud- 

denljr  fell  upon  a  small  detachment  of  troops  under 

Muj*»r  Van  Home.     Finding  the  Indians  in  too  great 

14 


210 


LIFE    AMOX)    THE    INDIANS, 


force,  Van  Home  ordered  a  retreat,  and  succeeded 
in  bringing  off  his  force,  with  a  h)Hs  o^  seventeen 
killed  and  several  wounded.  The  loss  of  the  enemy 
was  supposed  to  be  fully  equal  to  that  of  the  Amer- 
icans, but  they  succeeded  in  preventing  a  junction 
between  the  forces  of  Major  Van  Home  and  tho 
troops  under  Captain  Brush  on  the  River  Raisin. 

General  Hull  now  retired  from  Canada,  and  in- 
trenched himself  at  Detroit.  His  next  movement  was 
to  make  another  attempt  to  open  a  communication 
with  Captain  Brush.  For  this  purpose  he  detached 
Colonel  Miller,  with  Majors  Van  Home  and  Morri- 
son, and  a  body  of  troops,  amounting  to  six  hundred, 
to  make  a  second  effort  to  reach  Captain  Brush. 
They  were  attended  by  some  artillerists  with  a  six- 
pounder  and  a  howitzer.  The  detachment  marched 
from  Detroit  on  the  eighth,  and  in  the  afternoon  of 
the  ninth  the  front  guard,  commanded  by  Captain 
Snelling,  was  fired  upon  by  a  line  of  British  and  In- 
dians, about  two  miles  below  the  village  of  Maguaga. 
At  the  moment  of  the  attack,  the  main  body  was 
marching  in  two  lines, 'and  Captain  Snelling  main- 
tained his  position  in  a  gallant  manner,  till  the  line 
was  formed  and  marched  to  the  ground  he  occupied, 
where  the  whole,  except  the  rear  guard,  was  brought 
into  action.  The  British  were  intrenched  behind  a 
breast-work  of  logs,  with  the  Indians  on  the  left  cov- 
ered by  a  thick  wood.  Colonel  Miller  ordered  his 
whole  line  to  advance,  and  when  within  a  short  dis- 
tance of  th&  enemy,  fired  upon  them,  and  immediately 


A    SEVERE    ACTION. 


211 


followed  it  up  by  a  charge  with  fixed  bayonets,  when 
the  whole  British  line  and  the  Indians  commenced 
h.  retreat.  They  wore  vin;orously  pursuc<l  for  near 
two  miles.  The  Indians  on  the  left  were  commanded 
by  Tecumseh,  and  fought  with  great  bravery,  but 
were  forced  to  retreat.  Our  loss  in  this  severe  and 
well-fought  action  was  ten  killed  and  thirty-two 
wounded  of  the  regular  troops,  and  eight  killed  and 
twenty-eight  wounded  of  the  Ohio  and  Michigan  mi- 
litia. The  full  extent  of  the  force  of  the  enemy  is 
not  known.  There  were  four  hundred  regulars  and 
Canadian  militia,  under  command  of  Major  Muir,  and 
a  considerable  body  of  Indians  under  Tecumseii. 
Forty  of  the  latter  were  found  dead  on  the  field;  fif- 
teen of  the  British  regulars  were  killed  and  wounded, 
and  four  taken  prisoners.  The  loss  of  the  Canadian 
militia  and  volunteers  was  never  ascertained,  but  is 
supposed,  from  the  position  which  they  occupied  in 
the  action,  to  have  been  considerable.  Both  Major 
Muir  and  Tecumseh  were  wounded.  * 

When  the  surrender  of  Detroit  was  made  by  Gen 
eral  Hull,  Tecumseh  was,  as  usual,  foremost,  at  the 
head  of  his  Indians.  Indeed,  he  was  the  master-spirit 
in  that  movement.  Mr.  James  relates  th.at  previously 
to  General  Brock's  crossing  over  to  Detroit,  he  asked 
him  what  sort  of  a  country  he  should  have  to  pass 
through,  in  case  of  his  proceeding  farther.  Tecum- 
fleh,  taking  a  roll  of  elm  bark,  and  extending  it  on 


♦  Pwko'8  Life  of  Teci'mseb. 


^w^ 


212 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


the  ground  by  means  of  four  stones,  drew  forth  hia 
S(,'!il ping- knife,  and  with  the  point  presently  etched 
upon  the  bark  a  plan  of  the  country,  its  hills,  rivers, 
woods,  morasses,  and  roads;  a  plan  which,  if  not  as 
neat,  was,  for  the  purpose  required,  fully  as  intel- 
ligible as  if  Arrowsmith  himself  had  prepared  it. 
Pleased  with  this  unexpected  talent  in  Tecumseh, 
also  by  his  having,  with  his  characteristic  boldness, 
induced  the  Indians,  not  of  his  immediate  party,  to 
cross  the  Detroit,  prior  to  the  embarkation  of  the 
regulars  and  militia.  General  Brock,  as  soon  as  the 
business  was  over,  publicly  took  off  his  sash,  and 
placed  it  round  the  body  of  the  chief.  Tecumseh 
received  the  honor  with  evident  gratification;  but  was 
next  day  seen  without  his  sash.  General  Brock,  fear- 
ing something  had  displeased  the  Indian,  sent  his 
interpreter  for  an  explanation.  The  latter  soon  re- 
turned with  an  account  that  Tecumseh,  not  wishing 
to  wear  such  a  mark  of  distinction,  when  an  older, 
and,  as  he  said,  abler  warrior  than  himself  was  pres- 
ent, had  transferred  the  sash  to  the  Wyandott  chief, 
Roundhead.* 

After  the  surrender.  General  Brock  requested  Te- 
cumseh not  to  allow  the  Indians  to  abuse  the  pris- 
oners. His  reply  was  characteristic:  "No,  I  despise 
them  tjo  much  to  meddle  with  them." 

Upon  the  opening  of  the  spring  of  1813,  the  com- 
bined British  and  Indian  forces  under  Proctor  and 

*  Military  Occurrences  of  the  Lntc  War. 


At.SAULT    ON    fORT    MEIOS. 


213 


ncom- 
and 


Tecumseh,  invested  Fort  Meigs,  on  the  Miami  of  the 
Lakes.  The  former  amounted  to  fourteen  hundred, 
the  latter  to  eighteen  hundred.  Opposed  to  them, 
under  the  command  of  General  Harrison,  were  about 
twelve  hundred  troops.  The  enemy  appeared  on  the 
28th  of  Aprilj  and  the  contest  was  continued  till  the 
7th  of  May,  when  they  were  compelled  to  retire.  It 
was  a  desperate  conflict,  waged  with  great  address 
and  intrepidity.  The  Indians,  led  on  by  the  daring 
Tecumseh,  says  Mr.  Brown,  fought  with  uncommon 
bravery,  and  contributed  largely  to  swell  the  list  of 
our  killed  and  wounded.  It  is  said  that  the  sagacious 
leader  of  the  Indian  forces  did  not  enter  upon  this 
siege  with  any  strong  hopes  of  ultimate  success;  but, 
having  embarked  in  it,  he  stood  manfully  in  the  post 
of  danger,  and  took  an  active,  if  not  a  leading  part, 
in  planning  and  executing  the  various  movements 
which  were  made  against  the  fort.  The  spirit  with 
which  these  were  prosecuted  may  be,  in  part,  inferred 
from  the  fact,  that,  during  the  first  five  days  of  the 
siege,  the  enemy  fired  upon  the  fort  with  cannon, 
fifteen  hundred  times,  many  of  their  balls  and  bombs 
being  red  hot,  and  direcied  specially  at  the  two  block- 
houses containing  the  ammunition.  These  shots  made 
no  decided  impression  upon  the  picketing  of  the  fort, 
but  killed  or  wounded  about  eighty  of  the  garrison.  * 
Jt  has  been'  already  stated  that  the  distinguished 
leader  of  the   Indians,  in   this   assault  upon  Camp 


«HiBtoiy  of  the  Late  War. 


^mmmmmmfmm 


214 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


Meigs,  entered  upon  it  with  no  sanguine  hopes  of 
success.  His  associate,  General  Proctor,  however, 
is  said  to  have  entertained  a  diiFercnt  opinion,  and 
flattered  himself  and  his  troops  with  the  prospect 
of  splendid  success  and  rich  rewards.  In  case  of  the 
reduction  of  the  fort  and  the  capture  of  its  garrison, 
the  British  general  intended  to  assign  the  Michigan 
territory  to  the  Prophet  and  his  followers,  as  a  com- 
pensation for  their  services,  and  General  Harrison  was 
to  have  been  delivered  into  the  hands  of  Tecumseh, 
to  be  disposed  of  at  the  pleasure  of  that  chief.  * 

One  of  the  public  journals  of  the  dajf  states  that 
this  proposition  originated  with  Proctor,  and  was  held 
out  as  an  inducement  to  Tecumseh  to  join  in  the 
siege.  General  Harrison  subsequently  understood, 
that  in  case  he  had  fallen  into  Proctor's  hands,  he 
was  to  have  been  delivered  to  Tecumseh,  to  be  treated 
as  that  warrior  might  think  propxi*;  and,  in  a  note 
to  Dawson's  Historical  Narrative,  the  author  of  that 
work  says,  "There  is  no  doubt  that  when  Proctor 
made  the  arrangement  for  the  attack  on  Fort  Meigs 
with  Tecumseh,  the  latter  insisted,  and  the  former 
agreed  that  General  Harrison,  and  all  who  fought 
at  Tippecanoe,  should  be  given  up  to  the  Indians  to 
be  burned.  Major  Ball,  of  the  dragoons,  ascertained 
this  fact  from  the  prisoners,  deserters,  and  Indians, 
all  of  whom  agreed  to  its  truth."  Whatever  may 
have  been  the  actual  agreement  between  Proctor  antl 


•M'Affee. 


t  Tho  Chillicothc  Frcdonian. 


TECUMSEH    AND    HARRISON. 


215 


Tecumseh  in  regard  to  General  Harrison,  and  those 
whc  fought  with  him  at  Tippecanoe,  it  is  hardly  cred- 
ible that  this  chief  had  any  intention  of  participa- 
ting in  an  outrage  of  this  kind  upon  the  prisoners. 
Tecumseh  may  possibly  have  made  such  an  arrange- 
ment with  Proctor,  and  announced  it  to  the  Indians, 
for  the  purpose  of  exciting  them  to  activity  and  per- 
severance, in  carrying  on  the  siege;  but  that  this 
chief  seriously  meditated  any  such  outrage,  either 
against  General  Harrison  or  his  associates,  is  not 
to  be  credited  but  on  the  best  authority. 

It  will  b«)  recollected  that  Tecumseh,  when  but  a 
youth,  succeeded,  by  his  personal  talents  and  influ- 
ence, in  putting  an  end  to  the  barbarous  custom  of 
burning  prisoners,  then  common  among  a  branch  of 
the  Sha^nees.  It  will  be  also  recollected,  as  re- 
corded above,  that,  in  1810,  at  a  conference  'held 
with  General  Harrison,  in  Vincennes,  he  made  an 
agreement  that  prisoners,  and  women  and  children, 
in  the  event  of  hostilities  between  the  whites  and  the 
Indians,  should  be  protected ;  and  there  is  no  evidence 
that  this  C9mpact  was  ever  violated  by  him,  or,  in- 
deed, that  through  the  whole  course  of  his  eventful 
life,  he  ever  committed  violence  upon  a  prisoner,  or 
suffered  others  to  do  so  without  promptly  interfering 
for  the  captive.  To  suppose,  then,  that  he  really 
intended  to  permit  General  Harrison,  or  those  who 
fought  with  him  on  the  Wabash,  to  be  burned,  would 
have  been  at  variance  with  the  whole  tenor  of  his 
life;  and  particularly  with  bis  manly  and  magnani- 


Tfm^mtif^ 


216 


LIFD    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


mous  conduct  at  the  close  of  the  assault  upon  Fort 
Meigs.* 

The  most  disastrous  affair,  during  this  siege,  was 
the  capture  of  Colonel  Dudley,  and  the  force  under 
his  command.  The  Colonel  had  been  sent  to  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  river,  to  seize  a  battery  erected  by 
the  enemy,  and  to  spike  the  cannon  upon  it.  They 
succeeded  in  getting  possession  of  the  battery,  but 
unfortunately  delayed  the  rest  of  their  work  till  the 
enemy  rallied  in  greater'  force.  Nearly  all  the  de- 
tachment who  escaped  the  rifle  and  the  tomahawk  of 
the  savages  were  captured.  The  unfortunate  Dudley, 
after  being  wounded,  was  seized  by  a  savage,  scalped, 
and  then  tomahawked.  The  captives  were  taken  to 
Proctor's  headquarters  at  Fort  Miami.  The  scene 
enacted  there  is  vividly  described  in  a  letter  written 
a  few  years  later  by  Mr.  W.  G.  Ewing,  of  Piqua.  He 
says: 

"The  most  unfortunate  event  of  that  contest,  I 
presume,  you  will  admit  to  have  been  the  defeat  of 
Colonel  Dudley.  I  will  give  you  a  statement  made 
to  me  by  a  British  officer  who  was  present.  He 
states  that,  when  Colonel  Dudley  landed  his  troops, 
Tecumseh,  the  brave  but  unfortunate  commander,  was 
0  1  the  south  side  of  the  river,  annoying  the  American 
garrison  with  his  Indians,  and  that  Proctor,  with  a 
part  of  his  troops  and  a  few  Indians,  remained  on 
the  opposite  side  at  the  batteries.     Dudley  attacked 


*  Drake's  Life  of  Tecumseb. 


DUD LET    DEFEATED. 


217 


him,  and  pursued  him  two  miles.  During  tliis  time, 
Harrison  had  sent  out  a  detachment  to  engage  Te- 
cumseh;  and  the  contest  with  him  continued  for  a 
considerable  length  of  time,  before  he  was  informed 
of  what  was  doing  on  the  opposite  side.  He  imme- 
diately retreated,  swam  over  the  river,  and  fell  in  the 
rear  of  Dudley,  and  attacked  him  with  great  fury. 
Being  thus  surrounded,  and  their  commander  killed, 
the  troops  marched  up  to  the  British  line  and  sur- 
rendered. Shortly  afterward  commenced  the  scene 
of  horrors,  which,  T  dare  say,  is  yet  fresh  in  your 
memory;  but  I  shall  recall  it  co  your  recollection  for 
reasons  I  will  hereafter  state.  They — the  American 
troops — were  huddled  together  in  an  old  British  gar- 
rison, with  the  Indians  around  them,  selecting  such 
as  their  fancy  dictated,  to  glut  their  savage  thirst  for 
murder.  And,  although  they  had  surrendered  them- 
selves prisoners  of  war,  yet,  in  violation  of  the  cus- 
toms of  war,  the  inhuman  Proctor  did  not  yield  them 
the  least  protection,  nor  attempt  to  screen  them  from 
the  tomahawk  of  the  Indians.  While  this  blood- 
thirsty carnage  was  raging,  a  thundering  voice  was 
heard  in  the  rear,  in  the  Indian  tongue,  when,  turning 
round,  he  saw  Tecumseh  coming  with  all  the  rapidity 
his  horse  could  carry  him,  till  he  drew  near  to  where 
two  Indians  had  an  American,  and  were  in  the  act 
of  killing  him.  He  sprang  from  his  horse,  caught 
one  by  the  throat,  and  the  other  by  the  breast,  and 
threw  them  to  the  ground;    drawing  his  tomahawk 

and  scalping-knife,  he  ran  in  between  the  Americans 

19 


m^^mi^^m^m^m 


mtm 


21g 


Lift:  AMONG  tiifi  i^blAiiH. 


and  Indians,  brandishing  them  with  the  fury  of  a 
madman,  and  daring  any  one  of  the  hundreds  that 
surrounded  him  to  attempt  to  murder  another  Ameri- 
can. They  all  appeared  confounded,  and  immediately 
desisted.  His  mind  appeared  rent  with  passion,  and 
he  exclaimed,  almost  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  '0,  what 
will  become  of  my  Indians !'  He  then  demanded  in 
an  authoritative  tone  where  Proctor  was;  but  casting 
his  eye  upon  him  at  a  small  distance,  sternly  inquired 
why  he  had  not  put  a  stop  to  the  inhuman  massacre. 
*Sir,'  said  Proctor,  'your  Indians  can  not  be  com- 
manded!' 'Begone!'  retorted  Tecumseh,  with  the 
greatest  disdain,  'you  are  unfit  to  command;  go  and 
put  on  petticoats.' " 

There  is  another  incident  connected  with  the  de- 
feat of  Dudley,  which  justice  to  the  character  of  Te- 
cumseh requires  should  be  recorded.  Shortly  after 
he  had  put  a  stop  to  the  horrid  massacre  of  the  pris- 
oners, his  attention  was  called  to  a  small  group  of 
Indians  occupied  in  looking  at  some  object  in  their 
midst.  Colonel  Elliott  observed  to  him,  "Yonder 
are  four  of  your  nation  who  have  been  taken  pris- 
oners; you  may  take  charge  of  them,  and  dispose 
of  them  as  you  think  proper."  Tecumseh  walked  up 
to  the  crowd,  where  he  found  four  Shawnees — two 
brothers  by  the  name  of  Perry,  Big  Jim,  and  the  Sol- 
dier. "  Friends,"  said  he,  "  Colonel  Elliott  has  placed 
you  under  my  charge,  and  I  will  send  you  back  to 
your  nation  with  a  talk  to  your  people."  He  accord- 
iiigly  took  them  on  with  the  army  as  far  as  the  Rivor 


TECUMSEH    AND    PROCTOR. 


219 


Raisin,  from  which  point  their  return  home  would  be 
less  dangerous,  and  then  appointed  two  of  his  fol- 
lowers to  accompany  them,  with  some  friendly  mes- 
sages to  the  chiefs  of  the  Shawnee  nation.  They 
were  thus  discharged  under  their  parole,  not  to  fight 
against  the  British  during  the  war.* 

A  second  attempt  was  made  against  Fort  Meigs  in 
the  ensuing  July,  but  with  even  still  less  effect.  And 
shortly  after,  the  gallant  and  successful  defense  of 
Fort  Stevenson  at  Lower  Sandusky,  completely  dis- 
heartened the  enemy;  and  the  scene  of  action  was 
soon  transferred  to  Canada. 

The  closing  scenes  in  the  life  of  the  great  warrior 
we  transfer  from  the  biography  by  Mr.  Drake.f  He 
says,  that  discouraged  by  the  want  of  success,  and 
having  lost  all  confidence  in  General  Proctor,  Tecum- 
seh  now  seriously  meditated  a  withdrawal  from  the 
contest.  He  assembled  the  Shawnees,  Wyandotts, 
and  Ottawas,  who  were  under  his  command,  and  de- 
clared his  intention  to  them.  He  told  them,  that  at 
the  time  they  took  up  the  tomahawk  and  agreed  to 
join  their  father,  the  king,  they  were  promised  plenty 
of  white  men  to  fight  with  them ;  "  but  the  number  is 
not  now  greater,"  said  he,  "than  at  the  comraence- 
nient  of  the  war;  and  we  are  treated  by  them  like 
the  dogs  of  snipe  hunters;  we  are  always  sent  ahead 
to  start  the  game:  it  is  better  that  we  should  return 
to  our  country,  and  let  the  Americans  come  on  and 


*  Drake's  Life  of  Tecumsch.         t  Life  of  Tecurascli,  pp.  186-IS)8. 


I<"f 


^^*PW 


^^fl^^w 


220 


LIFE    AMONG    tHE    INDXAN5. 


P 


fight  the  British."  To  this  proposition  his  followers 
agreed;  but  the  Sioux  and  Chippewas  discovering 
his  intention,  went  to  him  and  insisted  that  inasmuch 
as  he  had  first  united  with  the  British,  and  had  been 
instrumental  in  bringing  their  tribes  into  the  alliance, 
he  ought  not  to  leave  them ;  and  through  their  inriu- 
ence  he  was  finally  induced  to  remain.* 

The  sagacious  eye  of  Tecumseh  soon  perceived  in- 
dications of  a  retreat  from  Maiden,  and  he  promptly 
inquired  into  the  matter.  General  Proctor  informed 
him  that  he  was  only  going  to  send  their  valuable 
property  up  the  Thames,  where  it  would  meet  a  rein- 
forcement and  be  safe.  Tecumseh,  however,  was  not 
to  be  deceived  by  this  shallow  device;  and  remon- 
strated most  urgently  against  a  retreat.  He  finally 
demanded,  in  the  name  of  the  Indians  under  his  com- 
mand, to  be  heard  by  the  General,  and  on  the  18th 
of  September  delivered  to  him,  as  the  representative 
of  their  great  father,  the  king,  the  following  spoech : 

"Father,  listen  to  your  children!  you  have  them 
now  all  before  you. 

"  Th*e  war  before  this,  our  British  father  gave  the 
hatchet  to  his  red  children,  when  our  old  chiefs  were 
alive.  They  are  now  dead.  In  that  war  our  father 
was  thrown  on  his  back  by  the  Americans;  and  our 
father  took  them  by  the  hand  without  our  know  ledge : 
and  we  are  afraid  that  our  father  will  do  so  again  at 
this  time. 


'Aotbony  Shane. 


TECUMSEII    TO    PROCTOa. 


221 


•*  Summer  before  last,  when  I  came  forwaril  with 
my  red  brethren,  and  was  ready  to  take  up  the  hatcliet 
m  favor  of  our  British  father,  we  were  told  not  to 
l)c  in  a  hurry,  that  he  had  not  yet  determined  to  fight 
the  Americans. 

"  Listen !  when  war  was  declared,  our  father  stood 
up  and  gave  us  the  tomahawk,  and  told  us  that  he 
was  then  ready  to  strike  the  Americans;  that  he 
wanted  our  assistance,  and  that  he  would  certainly 
get  our  lands  back,  which  the  Americans  had  taken 
from  us. 

"Listen!  you  told  us  at  that  time,  to  bring  forward 
our  families  to  this  place,  and  we  did  so ;  and  you 
promised  to  take  care  of  them,  and  they  should  want 
for  nothing,  while  the  men  would  go  and  fight  the 
enemy;  that  we  need  not  trouble  ourselves  about 
the  enemy's  garrisons;  that  we  knew  nothing  about 
them,  and  that  our  father  would  attend  to  that  part 
of  the  business.  You  also  told  your  red  children 
that  you  would  take  good  care  of  your  garrison  here, 
which  made  our  hearts  glad. 

"Listen!  when  we  were  last  at  the  Rapids,  it  is 
true  we  gave  you  little  assistance.  It  is  hard  to  fight 
people  who  live  like  ground-hogs. 

"Father,  listen!  our  fleet  has  gone  (5ut;  we  know 
they  have  fought;  we  have  heard  the  great  guns;  but 
we  know  nothing  of  what  has  happened,  to  our  father 
with  one  arm.*     Our  ships  have  gone  one  way,  and 


*  Commodure  Barclny,  who  had  lost  an  arm  in  some  previous  buttle. 


mmmmmmmm 


mm 


5  •''9 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


WO  ai'o  much  astonished  to  sec  our  father  tying  up 
evciy  thing  and  preparing  to  run  away  the  other, 
without  letting  his  red  children  know  what  his  inten- 
tions are.  You  always  told  us  to  remain  here  and 
take  care  of  our  lands.  It  made  our  hearts  glad  to 
hear  that  was  your  wish.  Our  great  father,  the  king, 
is  the  head,  and  you  represent  him.  You  always  told 
us  you  would  never  draw  your  foot  oft'  British  ground; 
but  now,  father,  we  see  that  you  are  drawing  back, 
and  we  are  sorry  to  see  our  father  doing  so  without 
seeing  the  enemy.  We  must  compare  our  father's 
conduct  to  a  fat  dog,  that  carries  his  tail  on  its  back, 
but  when  aff'righted,  drops  it  between  its  legs  and 
runs  oft". 

'*  Father,  listen  I  the  Americans  have  not  yet  de- 
feated us  by  land;  neither  are  we  sure  that  they  have 
done  so  by  water;  we,  therefore,  wish  to  remain  here 
and  fight  our  enemy^  should  they  make  their  appear- 
ance. If  they  defeat  us,  we  will  then  retreat  with 
our  father. 

**At  the  battle  of  the  Rapids,  last  war,  the  Ameri- 
cans certainly  defeated  us;  and  when  we  returned 
to  our  father's  fort  at  that  place,  the  gates  were  shut 
against  us.  We  Avere  afraid  that  it  would  now  be  the 
case;  but  in^ead  of  that,  we  now  see  our  British 
father  preparing  to  march  out  of  his  garrison. 

"Father,  you  have  got  the  arms  and  ammunition 
\vhich  our  great  father  sent  for  his  red  children.  If 
you  have  an  idea  of  going  away,  give  them  to  ua, 
and  you  may  go  and  welcome,  for  us.     Our  lives  are 


TECUMSEII    DISAFFECTED. 


223 


are 


in  the  hands  of  the  Great  Spirit.  We  are  determined 
to  defend  our  lands,  and  if  it  be  his  will,  we  wish  to 
leave  our  bones  upon  them." 

General  Proctorj  in  disregarding  the  advice  of 
Tecumseh,  lost  bis  only  opportunity  of  making  an 
effective  resistance  to  the  American  army.  Had  the 
troops  under  General  Harrison  been  attacked  by  the 
British  and  Indians  at  the  moment  of  their  landing 
on  the  Canada  shore,  the  result  might  have  been  far 
different  from  that  which  was  shortly  afterward  v/it- 
ncssed  on  the  banks  of  the  Thames. 

Shortly  after  the  delivery  of  this  speech,  a  consid- 
erable body  of  Indians  abandoned  General  Proctor, 
and  crossed  the  strait  to  the  American  shore.  Te- 
cumseh himself  again  manifested  a  disposition  to 
take  his  final  leave  of  the  British  service.  Imbit- 
tered  by  the  perfidy  of  Proctor,  his  men  suffering 
from  want  of  clothes  and  provisions,  with  the  pros- 
pect of  a  disgraceful  retreat  before  them,  he  was 
strongly  inclined  to  withdraw  with  his  followers,  and 
leave  the  American  general  to  chastise  in  a  summary 
manner  those  who  had  so  repeatedly  deceived  him 
and  his  Indian  followers.  The  Sioux  and  Chippewas, 
however,  again  objected  to  this  course.  They  could 
not,  they  said,  withdraw,  and  there  was  no  other 
leader  but  Tecumseh,  in  whom  they  placed  confi- 
dence; they  insisted  that  he  was  the  person  who 
had  originally  induced  them  to  join  the  British,  and 
that  he  ought  not  to  desert  them  in  the  present 
extremity.     Tecumseh,  in  reply  to  this  remonstrance. 


224 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


II  Hi 


§  :'!!' 


remarked,  tliat  the  battle-field  had  no  terrors  for  him; 
he  feared  not  death,  and  if  they  insisted  upon  it,  he 
would  remain  with  them. 

General  Proctor  now  proposed  to  the  Indians  to 
remove  their  women  and  children  to  M'Gee's,  op- 
posite the  River  Ilouge,  where  they  would  be  fur- 
nished with  their  winter's  clothing  and  the  necessary 
supplies  of  food.  To  this  proposition,  Tecumseh 
yielded  a  reluctant  assent;  doubting,  as  he  did,  the 
truth  of  the  statement.  When  they  were  about  to 
start,  he  observed  to  young  Jim  Blue-Jacket,  "Wo 
are  now  going  to  follow  the  British,  and  I  feel  well 
assured  that  we  shall  never  return."  When  they 
arrived  at  M'Gee's,  Tecumseh  found  that  there  were 
no  stores  provided  for  them,  as  had  been  represented. 
Proctor  made  excuses,  and  again  pledged  himself  to 
the  Indians,  that  if  they  would  go  with  him  to  the 
Thames,  they  would  there  find  an  abundance  of  every 
thing  needful  to  supply  their  wants;  besides  a  rein- 
forcement of  British  troops,  and  a  fort  ready  for  their 
reception.* 

The  retreat  was  Continued  toward  the  Thames.  On 
the  second  of  October,  when  the  army  had  reached 
Dalson's  farm,  Pioctor  and  Tecumseh,  attended  by  a 
small  guard,  returned  to  examine  the  ground  at  a 
place  called  Chatham,  where  a  deep,  unfordable  creek 
falls  into  the  Thames.  They  were  riding  together  in  " 
a  gig,  and  after  making  the  necessary  examination, 


•Anthony  Shane. 


MOVKMENTS    OF    TUE    ALLIES. 


225 


the  ground  was  approved  of;    and  General  Proctor 
remarked  that  upon  that  spot  they  would  cither  defeat 
General  Harrison  or  there  lay  their  bones.     With  this 
determination  Tecumseh  was  highly  pleased,  and  said 
"it  was  a  good  place,  and  when  he  should  look  a 
the  two  streams,  they  would  remind  ^'im  of  the  Wa 
bash  and  the  Tippecanoe."     Perhaps  no  better  posi- 
tion could  have  been  chosen  for  meeting  the  American 
army  than  this  place  presented.     The  allied  force  of 
British  and  Indians,  had  they  made  a  stand  upon  it, 
would  have  been  protected  in  front  by  a  deep,  unford- 
able  stream,  while  their  right  flank  would  have  been 
■covered  by  the  Thames,  and  their  left  by  a  swamp. 
But  General  Proctor  changed  his  mind,  and,  leaving 
Tecumseh  with  a  body  of  Indians  to  defend  the  pas- 
sage of  the  stream,  moved  forward  with  the  main 
army.     Tecumseh  made  a  prompt  and  judicious  ar- 
rangement of  his  forces ;  but  it  is  said  that  his  Indi- 
ans, in  the  skirmish  which  ensued,  did  not  sustain 
their  previous  reputation  as  warriors.     It  is  probable, 
however,  that  their  leader  did  not  intend  to  make  any 
decided  resistance  to  the  American  troops  at  this 
point,  not  being  willing   that  General   Proctor  and 
his  army  should  escape  a  meeting  with  the  enemy. 

Tecumseh  and  his  party  overtook  the  main  army 
near  the  Moravian  towns,  situated  on  the  north  side 
of  the  Thames.  Here  he  resolved  that  he  would 
retreat  no  further;  and  the  ground  being  favorable 
for  forming  the  line  of  battle,  he  communicated  his 

determination  to  General  Proctor,  and  compelled  him, 

16 


Illiil 


226 


LIFE    AMONG    IH£    INDIANA. 


as  there  is  every  reason  for  believing,  to  put  an  end 
to  his  retreat,  and  prepare  for  meeting  the  pursuing 
army.  After  the  Indians  were  posted  in  the  swamp, 
in  the  position  occupied  by  them  during  the  battle, 
Tecumseh  remarked  to  the  chiefs  by  whom  he  was 
surrounded,  "Brother  warriors!  we  are  now  about 
to  enter  into  an  engagement  from  which  I  shall  never 
come  out — my  body  will  remain  on  the  field  of  bat- 
tle." He  then  unbuckled  his  sword,  and  placing  it 
in  the  hands  of  one  of  them,  said,  "When  my  son 
becomes  a  noted  warrior,  and  able  to  wield  a  sword, 
give  this  to  him."  He  then  laid  aside  his  British 
military  dress,  and  took  his  place  in  the  line,  clothed 
only  in  the  ordinary  deer-skin  hunting-shirt.* 

The  position  selected  by  the  enemy  was  eminently 
judicious.  The  British  troops,  amounting  to  eight 
or  nine  hundred,  were  posted  with  their  left  upon  the 
river,  which  was  unfordable  at  that  point;  their  right 
extended  to  and  across  a  swamp,  and  united  them 
with  the  Indians,  under  Tecumseh,  amounting  to  near 
eighteen  hundred.  The  British  artillery  was  placed 
in  the  road  along  the  margin  of  the  river,  near  to 
the  left  of  their  line.  At  from  two  to  three  hundred 
yards  from  the  river,  a  swamp  extends  nearly  parallel 
to  it,  the  intermediate  ground  being  Jry.  This  posi- 
tion of  the  enemy,  with  his  flank  protected  on  the 
left  by  the  river,  and  on  the  right  by  the  swamp, 
filled  with  Indians,  being   L'uch   as   to   prevent  the 


•/jithonjr  Shant],  and  Colonel  Baubee,  of  the  British  army. 


ARRANGEMENTS    ToR    BATTLE. 


227 


! 


lenily 

eight 

in  the 

right 

them 

near 

ilaced 

lar  to 

[ndred 

.rallel 

posi- 
[n  the 

ramp, 
Lt  the 


wings  from  being  turned,  General  ITarrison  made 
arranorements  to  concentrate  his  forces  asjainst  the 
British  line.  The  first  division,  under  Major  General 
Henry,  was  formed  in  three  lines,  at  one  hundred 
yards  from  each  other;  the  front  line  consisting  of 
Trottci's  brigade,  the  second  of  Chiles's,  and  the 
reserve  of  King's  brigade.  These  lines  were  in 
front  of,  and  parallel  to,  the  British  troops.  The 
second  division,  under  Major  General  Desha,  com- 
posed of  Allen's  and  Caldwell's  brigades,  was  formed 
en  potence,  or  at  right  angles  with  the  first  division. 
Governor  Shelby,  as  senior  Major  General  of  the 
Kentucky  troops,  was  posted  at  this  crotchet,  formed 
between  the  first  and  second  divisions.  Colonel  Sim- 
rail's  regiment  of  light  infantry  was  formed  in  re- 
serve, obliquely  to  the  first  division,  and  covering 
the  rear  of  the  front  division ;  and,  after  much  reflec- 
tion as  to  the  disposition  to  be  made  of  Colonel  John- 
son's mounted  troops,  they  were  directed,  as  soon  as 
the  front  line  advanced,  to  take  ground  to  the  left, 
and  forming  upon  that  flank,  to  endeavor  to  turn 
the  right  of  the  I  Jians.  A  detachment  of  regular 
troops,  of  the  twenty-sixth  United  States  infantry, 
under  Colonel  Paul,  occupied  the  space  between  the 
road  and  the  river,  for  the  purpose  of  seizing  the 
enen;iy's  artillery ;  and,  simultaneously  with  this  mc  -'e- 
ment,  forty  friendly  Indians  were  to  pass  under  th 
bank  of  the  stream,  to  the  rear  of  the  British  line, 
and  by  their  fire  and  war-cry,  induce  the  enemy  to 
tliink  their  own  Indians  were  turning  against  them. 


228 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


m  ^' 


At  the  same  time,  Colonel  Wood  had  been  instructed 
to  make  preparations  for  using  the  enemy's  artillery, 
and  to  rake  their  own  line  by  a  flank  fire.  By  re- 
fusing the  left,  or  second  division,  the  Indians  were 
kept  in  the  air,  that  is,  in  a  position  in  which  they 
would  be  useless.  It  will  be  seen,  as  the  commander 
anticipated,  that  they  waited  in  their  position  the 
advance  of  the  second  divison,  while  the  British  left 
was  contending  with  the  American  right.  J_'  nson's 
corps  consisted  of  nine  hundred  men,  and  the  five 
brigades  under  Governoi  Shelby  amounted  to  nr^?«r 
eighteen  hundred ;  in  ill,  not  exceeding  two  thousaL  , 
seven  hundred  men. 

In  the  midst  of  these  arrangements,  and  just  as 
the  order  was  about  to  be  given  to  the  front  line 
to  advance,  at  the  head  of  which  General  Harrison 
had  placed  himself  with  his  staff.  Colonel  Wood  ap 
proached  him  with  intelligence,  that  having  recon- 
noitered  the  enemy,  he  had  ascertained  the  singular 
fact,  that  the  British  lines,  instead  of  the  usual  close 
order,  were  drawn  up  at  open  order.  This  fact  at 
once  induced  General  Harrison  to  adopt  the  novel 
expedient  of  charging  the  F'-itish  lines  '  ith  John- 
son's mounted  regiment.  "I  was  within  a  few  fee*, 
of  him,"  says  the  gallant  Colonel  John  O'Fallon, 
"when  the  report  of  Colonel  Wood  was  made,  and 
he  instantly  remarked  that  he  would  make  a  novel 
movement  by  ordering  Colonel  Johnson's  mounted 
regiment  to  charge  the  British  line  of  regulars,  which, 
thus  drawn  up,  contrary  to  the  habits  and  usages  of 


if. 


BRlTlsn    DISCOMFITED. 


220 


ose 
;t  at 
lovel 
ohn- 
fee*-, 
lion, 
and 
lOvel 
mted 
[bich, 
les  of 


that  description  of  troops,  always  accustomed  to  the 
touchy  could  be  easily  penetrated  and  thrown  into 
confusion  by  a  spirited  charge  of  Colonel  Johnson's 
regiment."  This  determination  was  presently  made 
known  to  the  Colonel,  who  was  directed  to  draw  up 
his  regiment  in  close  column,  with  its  right  fifty  yards 
from  the  road — that  it  might  be  partially  protected 
by  the  trees  from  the  artillery — its  left  upon  the 
swamp,  and  to  charge  at  full  speed  upon  the  enemy. 

At  this  juncture,  General  Harrison,  with  his  aids- 
decamp,  attended  likewise  by  General  Cass  and  Com- 
modore Peri'y,  advanced  from  the  right  of  the  front 
line  of  infantry  to  the  right  of  the  front  column 
of  mounted  troops,  led  by  Colonel  James  Johnson. 
The  General,  personally,  gave  the  direction  for  the 
charge  to  be  made.  "When  the  right  battalion  of 
the  mounted  men  received  the  first  fire  of  the  Brit- 
ish, the  horses  in  the  front  column  recoiled.  An- 
other fire  was  given  by  the  enemy,  but  our  column 
getting  in  motion,  broke  through  the  enemy  with 
irresistible  force.  In  one  minute  the  contest  was 
over.  The  British  ofiicers  seeing  no  prospect  of 
reducing  their  disordered  ranks  to  order,  and  seeing 
the  advance  of  the  infantry,  and  our  mounted  men 
wheeling  upon  them,  and  pouring  in  a  destructive 
fire,  immediately  surrendered."* 

Colonel  Richard  M.  Johnson,  by  the  extension  of 
his  line,  was  brought  in  contact  with  the  Indians, 

*  Official  Dispatch. 


230 


LIFE    AMONG    THK    INDIANS. 


upon  whom  he  gallantly  charged.  The  particulars 
of  this  charge  are  thus  given  by  an  intelligent  oflScer^ 
of  his  corps.  In  a  letter  to  the  late  Governor  Wick- 
liffe,  of  Kentucky,  under  date  of  Frankfort,  Septem- 
ber 7,  1840,  he  says : 

"I  was  at  the  head  or  right  of  my  company,  on 
horseback,  waiting  orders,  at  about  fifty  or  sixty 
yards  from  the  Ime  of  the  enemy.  Colonel  Johnson 
rode  ii)  ^^  explained  to  me  the  mode  of  attack,  and 
said  in  s^  tance:  'Captain  Davidson,  I  am  directed 
by  General  Harrison  to  charge  and  break  through 
the  Indian  line,  and  form  in  the  rear.  My  brothei 
James  will  charge  in  like  manner  through  the  Bri  h 
line  at  the  same  time.  The  sound  of  the  trumpet 
will  be  the  signal  for  the  charge.'  In  a  few  minutes 
the  trumpet  sounded,  and  the  word  'charge,'  was 
given  by  Colonel  Johnson.  The  Colonel  charged 
within  a  few  paces  of  me.  We  struck  the  Indian 
line  obliquely,  and  when  we  approached  within  ten 
or  fifteen  yards  of  their  line,  the  Indians  poured  in 
a  heavy  fire  upon  us,  killing  ten  or  fifteen  of  oui 
men  and  several  horses,  and  wounded  Colonel  John 
son  very  severely.  He  immediately  retired.  Doctor 
Theobald,  of  Lexington — I  think — aided  him  ojQT." 

The  loss  of  the  Americans  in  this  battle  was  about 
twenty  killed,  and  between  thirty  and  forty  wounded. 
The  British  loss  was  eighteen  killed,  and  twenty-six 
wounded.     The  Indians  left  on  the  ground  between 


'Captain  James  Davidson,  of  Kentucky.    See  Cincinnati  Republican. 


FALL    OP    TECUMSEH. 


231 


Lican. 


fifty  and  sixty  killed ;  and,  estimating  the  usual  pro- 
portion for  the  wounded,  it  was  probably  more  than 
double  that  number. 

In  a  general  order,  under  date  of  Montreal,  No- 
vember 21,  1813,  the  Adjutant  General  of  the  Eng- 
lish forces  bears  testimony  to  the  good  conduct  of  the 
Indian  warriors,  who  gallantly  maintained  the  conflict 
under  the  brave  chief  Tecumseh.  This  tribute  to  the 
Indians  and  their  leader  is  well  merited.  Had  Gen- 
eral Proctor  and  his  troops  fought  with  the  same 
valor  that  marked  the  conduct  of  Tecumseh  and  his 
men,  the  results  of  the  day  would  have  been  far 
more  creditable  to  the  British  arms.  It  has  already 
been  stated  that  Tecumseh  entered  this  battle  with  a 
strong  conviction  on  his  mind  that  he  should  not  sur- 
vive it.  Further  flight  he  deemed  disgraceful,  while 
the  hope  of  victory,  in  the  impending  action,  was 
feeble  and  distant.  He,  however,  heroically  resolved 
to  achieve  the  latter,  or  die  in  the  eflbrt.  With  this 
determination  ho  took  his  stand  among  his  followers, 
raised  the  war-cry,  and  boldly  met  the  enemy.  From 
the  commencement  of  the  attack  on  the  Indian  line, 
his  voice  was  distinctly  heard  by  his  followers,  an- 
imating them  to  the  contest.  When  that  well-known 
voice  was  heard  no  longer  above  the  din  of  arms,  the 
battle  ceased.  The  British  troops  having  already 
surrendered,  and  the  gallant  leader  of  the  Indians 
having  fallen,  they  gave  up  the  contest,  and  fled.  A 
short  distance  from  where  Tecumseh  fell,  the  body 
of  his  friend  and  brother-in-law,  Wasegoboah,  was 


Rf    1 


232 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS, 


found.  They  had  often  fought  side  by  side,  and  now, 
in  front  of  their  men,  bravely  battling  the  enemy, 
they,  side  by  side,  closed  their  mortal  career.* 

James,  a  British  historian,f  in  his  account  of  the 
battle  of  the  Thames,  makes  the  following  remarks  on 
the  character  and  personal  appearance  of  Tecumseh: 

"Thus  fell  the  Indian  warrior,  Tecumseh,  in  the 
forty-fourth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  of  the  Shaw- 
nee tribe,  five  feet  ten  inches  high,  and  with  more 
than  the  "sual  stoutness;  possessed  all  the  agility 
and  perseverance  of  the  Indian  character.  His  car- 
riage was  dignified,  his  eye  penetrating,  his  coun- 
tenance, which  even  in  death  betrayed  the  indications 
of  a, lofty  spirit,  rather  of  the  sterner  cast.  Had  he 
not  possessed  a  certain  austerity  of  manners,  he  could 
nevei  have  controlled  the  wayward  passions  of  those 
who  followed  him  to  battle.  He  was  of  a  silent 
habit;  but  when  his  eloquence  became  roused  into 
action  by  the  reiterated  encroachments  of  the  Amer- 
icans, his  strong  intellect  could  supply  him  with  a 
flow  of  oratory  that  enabled  him,  as  he  governed  in 
the  field,  so  to  prescribe  in  the  council.  Those  who 
consider  that,  in  all  territorial  questions,  the  ablest 
diplomatists  of  the  United  States  are  sent  to  nego- 
tiate with  the  Indians,  will  readily  appreciate  the  loss 
sustained  by  the  latter  in  the  death  of  Tecumseh. 
Such  a  man  was  this  unlettered  savage,  and  such  a 
man  have  the  Indians  lost  forever." 


*  Anthony  Shane.  t  Military  Occurrences  of  the  Late  War. 


INDIANS    AND    ROMANISM. 


2SS 


the 

5  on 

seh: 
the 

haw- 
more 

Tility 

I  car- 

coun- 

[itioTis 

ad  he 

could 
those 
silent 

Id  into 
.mer- 
ith  a 
ed  in 
ie  who 
ablest 
nego- 
tC  loss 
imseh. 
such  a 


CHAPTER  IX 


JOHN    STEWART. 


ror. 


The  Wyandott  nation  being  on  the  borders  of  the 
white  population,  and  mixing  with  the  most  aban- 
doned and  vicious,  soon  became  sunk  in  the  most 
degrading  vices,  such  as  drunkenness,  lewdness,  and 
gambling,  till  many  of  them  became  the  most  do 
graded  and  worthless  of  their  race. 

They  had  been  under  the  religious  instruction  of 
the  Roman  Catholics  for  many  years.  But  it  ap- 
pears, both  from  their  morals  and  from  the  declara- 
tions of  many  who  professed  to  be  Catholics,  that 
they  did  them  little  or  no  good.  To  carry  a  silver 
cross,  and  to  count  a  string  of  beads,  to  worship  the 
Virgin  Mary,  to  go  to  church  and  hear  mass  said  in 
Latin,  and  be  taught  to  believe  that  for  a  beaver-skin, 
or  its  value,  they  could  have  all  their  sins  pardoned, 
comprised  the  sum  total  of  their  Christianity,  and 
served  but  to  encourage  them  in  their  superstition 
and  vice. 

While  they  were  in  this  degraded  condition,  God 

in  mercy  remembered  them,  and  sent  them  the  word 

of  eternal  life.    Not  by  the  learned  missionary,  but 

by  John   Stewart,  a  colored  man,  of  no  learuingi 

"that  the  excellency  might  be  of  God,  and  not  of 

20 


•  !i 


m 


234 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


man."^  John  Stewart  was  a  mulatto,  freo  born,  whose 
parents  claimed  to  be  mixed  with  Indian  blood;  but 
he  could  not  tell  of  what  tribe,  or  what  was  theif 
relation  to  the  Indians.  His  parents  were  of  the 
Baptist  persuasion,  and  he  had  a  brother  that  ^as 
a  preacher  of  that  order.  He  was  born  in  Powhatan 
county,  in  the  state  of  Virginia.  He  became  disa- 
bled in  early  life.  His  parents  moved  to  the  state 
of  Tennessee,  and  left  him  behind.  Some  time  after 
he  followed  them ;  and,  on  his  way  to  Marietta,  Ohio, 
was  robbed  of  all  his  property.  In  that  place,  where 
he  took  up  his  abode,  he  gave  full  scope  to  his  in- 
temperance, till  he  was  so  far  gone,  and  his  nerves 
were  so  affected  by  it,  that  he  could  scarcely  feed 
himself.  At  length  he  came  to  the  resolution  to  put 
an  end  to  his  miserable  existence,  by  drowning  him- 
self in  the  river.  He  told  me  that  the  loss  of  his 
property,  the  idea  of  poverty,  and  the  disgrace  he 
had  brought  on  himself  by  his  dissipation,  and  the 
wretched  state  of  his  soul,  had  impelled  him  to  this 
determination.  The  tavern-keeper,  with  whom  he 
lived,  refused  to  let  him  have  liquor,  as  before,  so 
that  he  had  time  to  become  sober,  and  his  mind  was, 
in  some  degree,  restored  to  the  exercise  of  reason. 
Then  he  determined  to  reform;  and  undertook  to 
attend  a  sugar-camp  at  some  distance  from  town, 
which  gave  him  an  opportunity  to  reflect  and  pray. 
At  this  place  he  remained,  by  himself  principally, 
through  the  sugar  season.  The  more  he  read,  re- 
flected, and  prayed,  the  more  he  was  convicted  of  his 


Stewart's  conversion. 


235 


was, 
ison. 
Ik  to 
[own, 
)ray. 
)a\ly, 
re- 
If  his 


sins ;  and,  by  a  constant  struggle  of  soul,  he  at  length 
found  peace  and  pardon.  On  his  return  to  town  he 
could  not  resist  the  influence  of  hi:i  wicked  compan- 
ions, and  was  soon  prevailed  on  to  attend  a  dance, 
at  which  the  struggles  of  his  mind  were  powerful — 
so  much  so  that  he  was  sometimes  almost  constrained 
to  cry  aloud.  At  last  his  mind  became  more  insen- 
sible to  the  influences  of  the  Spirit,  and  he  comforted 
himself  with  the  reflection,  that  once  in  grace  he 
could  not  fall  from  it ;  and  so  resumed  his  course  of 
wickedness.  One  of  his  comrades  dying  suddenly, 
it  alarmed  his  guilty  fears,  and  his  convictions  all  re- 
turned, so  that  he  was  frequently  constrained  to  cry 
out,  "  0  wretched  man  that  I  am !" 

Stewart,  from  the  influence  of  his  education,  had 
imbibed  a  deep-rooted  prejudice  against  other  denom- 
inations, and  especially  the  Methodists.  But  one 
evening,  passing  along  the  street,  he  heard  in  a  house 
the  voice  of  singing  and  prayer.  It  was  a  Methodist 
prayer  meeting.  He  drew  near,  and,  after  some  strug- 
gle of  soul,  he  ventured  in,  and  made  known  his  state. 
Afterward  he  frequently  met  in  these  meetings.  At 
length  he  was  induced  to  go  to  a  camp  meeting,  held 
by  the  late  Rev.  Marcus  Lindsey,  near  Marietta;  and 
there  he  approached  the  mourner's  altar,  and,  after 
struggling  all  night,  in  the  morning  God  was  pleased 
to  show  mercy  to  his  soul.  His  joy  was  unspeaka- 
ble; he  united  himself  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  met  in  class  in  Marietta.  The  reforma- 
tion in  his  whole  character  and  habits  was  radical 


286 


LIFE   AMOKQ    THE    INDIANS. 


and  thorough.  He  now  rented  a  house,  and  resumea 
his  trade,  which  was  that  of  a  dyer.  * 

Soon  after  he  had  experienced  religion,  his  mind 
became  much  exercised  about  preaching,  which  he 
concluded  was  a  temptation  of  the  devil;  and  con- 
tinued to  think  so,  till  he  again  lost  the  comforts  of 
religion. 

He  was  visited,  in  the  fall  of  1814,  with  a  severe 
attack  of  sickness,  from  which  no  one  expected  he 
would  recover.  But  he  prayed  to  God,  and  promised, 
if  he  was  spared,  that  he  would  obey  the  call.  Soon 
after  this,  he  went  into  the  fields  to  pray.  "  It  seemed 
to  me,"  said  he,  "  that  I  heard  a  voice,  like  the  voice 
of  a  woman,  praising  God;  and  then  another,  as  the 
voice  uf  a  man,  saying  to  me,  *You  must  declare 
my  counsel  faithfully.'  These  voices  ran  through  me 
powerfully.  They  seemed  to  come  from  a  north-west 
direction.  I  soon  found  myself  standing  on  my  feet, 
and  speaking  as  if  I  were  addressing  a  congregation. 
This  circumstance  made  a  strong  impression  on  my 
mind,  and  seemed  an  indication  to  me  that  the  Lord 
had  called  me  to  warn  sinners  to  flee  the  wrath  to 
come.  But  I  felt  myself  so  poor  and  ignorant,  that 
I  feared  much  to  make  any  attempt,  though  I  was 
continually  drawn  to  travel  toward  the  course  from 
whence  the  voices  seemed  to  come.  I,  at  length, 
concluded,  that  if  God  would  enable  me  to  pay  my 
debts,  which  I  had  contracted  in  the  days  of  my  wick- 
edness and  folly,  I  would  go.  This  I  was  enabled 
Boon  to  do;  and  I  accordingly  took  my  knapsack, 


STEWART  AMONG  THE  DELA WARES.  237 


and  set  off  to  the  north-west,  not  knowing  whither  1 
was  to  go.  When  I  set  off,  my  soul  was  very  happy, 
and  I  steered  my  course,  sometimes  in  the  road,  and 
sometimes  through  the  woods,  till  I  came  to  Goshen, 
on  the  Tuscarawas  river.  This  was  the  old  Moravian 
establishment  among  the  Delawares.  The  Rev.  Mr. 
Mortimore  was  then  its  pastor."  Here  Stewart  found 
a  few  of  the  Delawares,  among  whom-  was  old  Kilbuck 
and  his  family.  Here  he  remained  a  few  days,  and 
was  kindly  treated .  by  all.  It  was  here,  no  doubt, 
that  Stewart  leained  something  of  the  Indians  far- 
ther to  the  north;  for  these  Delawares  had  many 
friends  and  relations  that  lived  on  a  reservation  on 
the  Sandusky  river,  called  Pipetown,  after  the  chief 
who  lived  there;  and  to  this  place  he  directed  his 
course. 

Here  was  a  remnant  of  poor  Delawares,  under  the 
control  of  Captain  Pipe,  son  of  the  chief  of  the  same 
name,  who  assisted  in  burning  Crawford,  on  the  Ty 
amochte.  At  this  place  Stewart  stopped ;  and,  as  the 
Indians  were  preparing  for  a  great,  dance,  they  paid 
but  little  attention  to  the  stranger.  They  proceeded 
with  their  mirth,  which  was  all  new  to  Stewart;  and 
such  were  their  vociferations  an'^  actions  that  they 
alarmed  him,  and  he  felt  fear  for  a  short  time.  After 
all  was  over,  they  became  quiet,  and  Stewart  took 
out  his  hymn-book,  and  began  to  sing.  He  was  one 
of  the  most  melodious  singers  I  ever  heard.  The 
company  were  charmed  and  awed  into  perfect  silence. 
When  he  ceased,  Johnny-Cake  said,  in  broken  Eng- 


238 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


lish,  ^^  Sing  more."  lie  then  asked  if  there  was  any 
person  that  could  interpret  for  him ;  when  old  Lyons, 
who  called  himself  one  hundred  and  sixty  years  old — 
for  ho  counted  the  summer  a  year  and  winter  a  year — 
came  forward.  Stewart  gave  them  an  exhortation, 
and  then  retired  to  rest  for  the  night.  In  the  morn- 
ing, he  felt  some  strong  desires  to  return  to  Marietta, 
and  from  thence  to  Tennessee,  where  his  father  and 
mother  had  removed.  But  so  strong  were  his  im- 
pressions that  he  had  not  yot  reached  the  right  place, 
though  he  was  invited  by  the  Delawares  to  stay,  that 
ho  took  his  departure,  and  arrived  at  the  house  of 
William  Walker,  sen.,  at  Upper  Sandusky,  who  was 
the  United  States  Indian  sub-agent  and  'nterpreter. 

At  first  Mr.  Walker  suspected  him  ^  a  runaway 
slave;  but  Stewart  gave  him  a  history  of  his  con- 
version to  God,  and  of  his  travails  in  godliness,  in 
so  simple  and  honest  a  manner,  that  it  removed  all 
his  doubts  on  the  subject.  This  narrative  fastened 
on  the  mind  of  Mrs.  Walker,  who  was  a  most  ami- 
able woman,  of  good  education,  and  half  Wyandott. 
She  possessed  great  influence  in  the  nation;  and  this 
whole  family  became  his  hospitable  friends,  and  the 
untiring  friends  to  the  mission  which  was  afterward 
established  there.  The  old  gentleman,  his  wife,  and 
his  sons,  were  all  good  interpreters,  spoke  the  Indian 
tongue  fluently,  and  all,  except  old  Mr.  Walker,  be- 
came members  of  the  Church. 

Stewart  was  directed  by  this  family  to  a  colored 
man,  whose  name  was  Jonathan  Pointer.    He  was 


JONATHAN    POINTER. 


280 


llored 
was 


taken  prisoner  from  Point  Pleasant,  Virginia,  when 
a  littlo  boy.  lie  and  his  master  were  plowing  and 
hoeing  corn,  when  the  Indians  came  upon  them. 
They  sliot  his  master,  and  cauglit  Jonathan,  and  took 
him  homo  with  them.  This  man  was  said  by  ihe 
chiefs  to  speak  the  language  as  well  as  any  of  the 
natives.  Stewart  called  on  him  at  his  hut,  and  mado 
known  his  wishes ;  but  Jonathan  was  very  reluctant, 
indeed,  to  interpret  for  him,  or  to  introduce  him  as 
a  preacher.  He  told  Stewart  that  "it  was  great  folly 
for  him,  a  poor  colored  man,  to  pretend  to  turn  these 
Indians  from  their  old  religion  to  a  new  one;  for 
many  great  and  Icrned  white  men  had  been  there 
before  him,  and  used  all  their  power,  but  could  ac- 
complish nothing;  and  he  could  not  expect  they 
would  listen  to  him."  But  Stewart  believed  that  God 
had  sent  him,  and  though  of  himself  he  could  not 
do  any  thing,  God  could  work  by  him,  and  he  was 
unwilling  to  give  over  till  he  had  made  a  trial. 

The  next  day  Jonathan  was  going  to  a  feast  and 
dance,  and  Stewart  desired  to  go  along,  to  which  the 
other  reluctanly  consented.  Stewart  got  him  to  in- 
troduce him  to  the  chiefs  as  a  friend  to  their  souls; 
when  he  gave  them  an  exhortation  and  sung  a  hymn 
or  two,  and  requested  all  that  were  willing  to  hear 
him  next  day  at  Jonathan's  house,  to  come  forward 
and  give  him  their  hand.  This  the  most  of  them 
did.  But  he  was  much  disappointed  the  next  day; 
for  none  of  them  came,  save  an  old  woman,  to  whom 
he  preached,     This  woman  was  the  m.othor  of  James 


240 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


{ 


Harrihoot.  The  next  day  was  again  appointed  to 
hold  meeting  at  the  same  place.  Thjp  same  old  wo- 
man, and  an  old  man  named  Big-Tree,  were  present. 
To  these  Stewart  again  preached;  and  he  has  since 
told  me,  that  what  much  encouraged  him  to  perse- 
vere was,  that  he  had  seen  both  these  old  persons  in 
a  dream,  and  knew  them  well  when  they  came  into 
the  house.  The  next  day  being  the  Sabbath,  he 
appointed  to  meet  in  the  council-house;  at  which 
place  eight  or  ten  came,  and  he,  by  Jonathan  Pointer 
as  interpreter,  exhorted  them  to  flee  the  wrath  to 
come.    -'      -  -r  ' '    ■        -■  ■ . 

From  this  time  forward  nis  congregations  began 
to  increase;  and  I  presume  that  nothing  contributed 
more  to  increase  them,  and  keep  them  up  for  a  while, 
than  his  singing.  This  very  much  delighted  the  In- 
dians, as  no  people  are  fonder  of  music  than  they 
are;  and  Stewart,  availing  himself  of  this,  mixed  his 
prayers  and  exhortations  with  songs. 

Many  of  these  people  had  been  Catholics,  and  they 
began  to  call  up  their  old  Catholic  songs,  and  sing 
them,  and  to  pray.  Through  this  means  some  of 
them  became  stirred  up,  and  awakened  to  see  their 
lost  condition;  and  some  found  peace  with  God. 
Stewart  thought  it  to  be  his  duty,  when  they  prayed 
to  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  used  their  beads  and  crosses 
in  prayer,  to  tell  them  that  it  was  wrong.  He  also 
epoke  against  the  foolishness  of  their  feasts  and 
dances,  and  against  their  witchcraft. 

These  reproofs  soon  excited  prejudice  against  him 


STEWART    S    BIBLE    AND    HYMNS. 


241 


they 
sing 
le  of 
tbeir 
God. 
Ij-ayed 
rosses 
also 
and 

him 


Many  that  had  joined  in  their  worship  went  away, 
and  persecuted,  and  did  ill  the  harm  they  could. 
Some  of  that  party  having  business  at  Detroit,  called 
upon  the  Roman  priest,  and  related  what  was  going 
on,  and  wished  for  instruction.  The  priest  told  them, 
"  that  none  had  the  true  word  of  God,  or  Bible,  but 
the  Catholics ;  and  that  none  but  the  Catholic  priests 
could  teach  them  the  true  and  right  way  to  heaven; 
and  if  they  died  out  of  the  Catholic  Church,  they 
must  perish  forever;  that  they  could  not  be  saved 
in  any  other  way,  but  must  be  lost  forever."  They 
came  home  in  high  spirits,  and  soon  it  was  reported 
through  every  family  that  Stewart  had  not  the  right 
Bible,  and  was  leading  them  all  wrong.  Some  charged 
him  with  having  a  false  Bible ;  but  how  this  was  to 
be  tested  was  the  difficulty.  Finally,  they  all  agreed 
to  leave  it  to  Mr.  Walker,  sen.  Tho  time  was  set 
when  the  parties  were  to  me  it,  and  he  was  publicly 
to  examine  Stewart's  Bible  and  Hymn-Book.  The 
parties  came  together  at  the  time  appointed.  Deep 
interest  was  felt  on  both  sides,  and  all  awaited  in 
solemn  suspense.  After  some  time  had  been  spent 
in  the  examination,  Mr.  Walker  said  that  Stewart's 
Bible  was  a  true  one,  and  diflfereu  from  the  Catholic 
Bible  only  in  this:  one  was  punted  in  English,  the 
other  in  Latin.  He  affirmed  that  Ixis  Hymn-Book 
was  a  good  one;  and  that  tho  hymns  it  contained 
were  well  calculated  to  be  sung  in  the  worship  of 
God.  This  decision  was  received  with  joy  by  the 
religious  party,  and  sunk  the  spirits  of  the  other. 


242 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


But  I  am  strongly  inclined  to  believe,  from  good 
evidence,  that  none  were  so  influential  in  putting 
down  the  superstitions  of  the  Catholics  as  old  Mrs 
Walker.  She  was  no  ordinary  woman.  Her  mind 
was  well  enlightened;  and  she  could  expose  the  folly 
of  their  superstitions  better  than  any  one  in  the  na- 
tion. As  she  stood  so  high  in  the  estimation  of  all, 
her  words  had  more  weight  than  any  one  else. 

Stewart  continued  to  labor  among  these  Indians 
from  November,  1816,  till  early  the  next  spring. 
Through  the  course  of  this  winter  there  was  great 
religious  interest  awakened  among  the  people.  The 
interpreter.  Pointer,  professed  to  obtain  religion ;  ^nd 
he  proved  a  great  auxiliary  to  Stewart.  Pointer  told 
me  himself,  that  when  Stewart  first  came,  he  did  not 
like  him,  because  he  was  too  religious,  and  he  hoped 
he  would  soon  go  away;  that  he  wanted  a  religion 
that  did  rot  fit  so  close,  but  give  him  leave  to  in- 
dulge in  sin ;  and  when  he  interpreted,  he  would  say, 
"These  are  not  my  words  but  his" — meaning  Stew- 
art's. He  now  entered  fully  into  the  work  with 
Stewart. 

At  a  meeting  this  winter  he  took  occasion  to  ex- 
pose their  heathen  religion,  and  the  absurdities  of 
their  feasts  and  dances;  and  added,  that  instead  of 
these  things  being  pleasing  to  God,  they  were,  on  the 
contrary,  displeasing  to  him;  and  that,  although,  in 
the  days  of  their  darkness  and  ignorance,  God  winked 
at  or  passed  over  them,  yet  he  now  called  on  all  to 
repent  and  forsake  these  evil  ways,  for  the  Gospel 


INDIAN    SKEPTICISM.  043 

to  his  doctrines  they  were  at Th    .    .  ""'  "'''""'""" 
Kicks,  one  of  the  cLl'  f^  '"  '^'"^    Joh" 

-  you  have  given  liertV::"  "'  ""'  ""'^  ^"»<J.- 
«ona  to  the  /octrin  ^^^  eaert:"  t  ""^  '"^'''■ 
ject  and  state  their  oblcti  I  ^  f    ''''^  °"  *^'  «•"- 
oalled  on  to  arise  in  2?,'    '     '  °"*'  ^''^  "^^^'f 
•  "y  fathers.     TklZaX      T  "'  ^''^  ""'^i""  of 
■      *-  a  religion    o^^er    ^  '"'"  "^  '<"'  <"■"- 
them  in  the  good  way  atd.'''  ""''  '°  <'=*'""*«'' 
"  so  soon  fs  1   wil      :     .""''■^^'''''''''^''ving 

'•-ived  seveJlrVrSe:  ^^'^^^  "- 
prophets,  and  had  to  return  „  T. '"''  ^'"""'*« 
«"->  it  the  best  of  any  tr  "  w""  ""«'»"'  -" 
with  it,  because  it  suits  o..r  .  ""'  *»"tented 

to  <H.r  capacities      cJ  ""''  ''"''  '^  '"^P^^ 

»^  you  J„  ser-that t^oLXi  T^  '"  "»^'^' 
every  nation  a  religion  suited  !t?  ^  ^''*"  '" 
these  all  differ.    Is  SZ    1  """*"»'';  ■■""! 

Spirit?    MrfrilnH  ""  *<**  "^  the  Great 

our  ".odeZf  :  iVpInT ;"', "  ""'^""^  »«--' 
«ood.  We  are  ;m  ;rre: ir^r  'Z  "^  "■-- 
you,  but  we  are  not  ^U-^.TZ'Z  '  ""  '"'" 
customs  of  our  fa.th^..  ,u  '®  religion  and 

^  When  this  rpX^ltwTtn"'"^"'^''-''        ' 
the  chiefs,  arose  and  wished  l"''  """""*  "^ 
-.ea.r,  Which  wasTttrj::--;- 


244 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


11 


all  its  doctrines,  were  sent  to  another  place,  and  an- 
other people,  and  could  have  nothing  to  do  with  us; 
that  the  Son  of  God  was  born  among  the  white  peo- 
ple, and  we  never  heard  of  him  till  the  whites  brought 
the  word;  and,  if  they  had  never  come,  we  would 
never  have  heard  of  him;  to  the  whites  only  he 
spoke,  and  left  his  word  with  them,  and  not  with 
us;  no  book  has  been  given  to  us.  If  the  Great 
Spirit  had  designed  us  to  be  governed  by  this  book, 
he  would  have  sent  it  to  us.  Ours  is  a  religion  that 
suits  us  red  people,  and  we  intend  to  preserve  it  as 
sacred  as  when  the  Great  Spirit  gave  it  to  our  grand- 
fathers in  olden  days." 

Stewart  replied:  "God  has  sent  this  book  to  you 
now.  The  Son  of  God,  before  he  went  up  to  heaven, 
commanded  his  ministers  to  go,  and  carry,  and  preach 
that  book  to  every  nation  on  the  whole  earth;  and 
you  count  yourselves  a  nation  of  living  souls.  Al- 
though it  has  taken  this  book  a  long  time  to  come,  yet 
it  hoi  come,  as  God  has  directed  it;  and  it  will  go  on 
till  it  has  reached  all  the  world,  and  all  the  nations, 
and  colors,  and  languages  of  men;  none  can  stop  it. 
Now,  my  dear  friends,  only  consider  what  an  awful 
curse  will  fall  on  those  that  reject  it.  My  friends, 
think  well  before  you  reject  the  Savior,  and  the  great 
salvation  he  offers  you ;  for  whosoever  will  reject  the 
Savior  will  be  destroyed  with  an  everlasting  destruc- 
tion." This  exhortation  had  a  good  effect  on  tho 
minds  of  these  two  chiefs;  for  afterward  Mononcue 
0iiid  to  bis  friend  Hicks,  "I  have  some  notion  of 


EXCITEMENT. 


245 


giving  up  some  of  my  Indian  customp  *.  but  I  can  not 
agree  to  quit  painting  my  face.  This  would  be  wrong, 
as  it  would  jeopard  my  health."  It  is  a  received 
opinion  among  them,  that  painting  the  face  has  a 
magic  influence  in  preserving  their  health,  and  sav- 
ing them  from  disease.  Hicks  replied:  ^^You  can 
do  as  you  please.  I  feel  strange,  and  hardly  know 
what  to  do." 

Some  time  in  February,  1817,  the  work  of  God 
broke  out  afresh ;  and  at  one  of  their  meetings,  after 
Stewart  had  preached  on  the  final  judgment,  the 
whole  assembly  was  absorbed  in  serious  thought. 
They  met  at  candle-light;  at  which  time,  after  ex- 
hortation, he  called  up  the  mourners,  when  a  few 
came  forward,  principally  women.  They  had  not 
long  been  engaged  in  prayer  before  the  power  of 
God  was  manifested,  and  many  of  the  lookers-on 
were  struck  down  to  the  ground,  and  cried  aloud 
for  mercy;  others  lay  stiff  and  motionless.  Some 
were  ready  to  attribute  this  work  to  strong  medicine, 
used  by  Stewart  for  the  purpose  of  producing  the 
present  effect.  Some  ran  for  water;  others  called 
to  Jonathan  to  stop  singing  those  new  hymns,  and 
sing  the  Catholic  hymns,  or  they  would  die.  About 
this  time  a  very  aged  woman  found  religion,  sprang 
up,  and  began  to  shout  and  clap  her  hands — proclaim- 
ing that  God  had  forgiven  all  her  sins,  and  that  what 
the  preacher  had  said  was  true.  Seeing  her  act  in 
this  way,  they  concluded  she  was  in  a  state  of  men- 
tal derangement.     Many  sat  as  idle   spectators,  in 


.! 


i 


246 


LIFE    AMONG    THS    INDIANS. 


Utter  amazement  at  such  an  exhibition  as  they  ii9c»'e 
beholding. 

After  this  the  heathen  party  were  determined  tc^ 
make  an  effort  to  keep  up  their  religion ;  and  a  coun- 
cil was  held,  and  a  dance  and  feast  appointed,  to  show 
the  preacher  how  they  worshiped  the  Great  Spirit. 
Great  preparations  were  made.  The  young  men 
turned  out  to  hunt  and  provide  for  the  feast,  and 
returned  loaded  with  venison  and  bear  meat.  On  the 
day  appointed  a  large  concourse  of  people  assem- 
bled, old  and  young,  male  and  female,  with  Stewart 
and  Jonathan,  who  had  now  become  his  constant  in- 
terpreter and  helper  in  this  work.  The  chief  arose, 
and  made  the  preparatory  speech;  then  the  dance 
began.  The  music  was  the  Indian  flute,  and  the 
hoarse  sound  of  the  turtle-shell.  One  after  another 
joined  in;  and  what  was  a  matter  of  astonishment 
to  Stewart,  some  of  his  mourners,  who,  he  considered, 
had  renounced  the  world,  were  among  the  dancers. 
This  was  a  scene  of  great  hilarity,  and  was  concluded 
in  the  finest  kind  of  Indian  style.  Soon  after  this 
Stewart  concluded  he  would  leave  them,  and  go  to 
his  friends  in  Tennessee;  and,  after  delivering  them 
a  farewell  sermon,  in  which  he  addressed  those  that 
had  made  a  profession  of  religion,  and  exhorted  them 
to  be  faithful,  he  advised  the  chiefs  and  principal 
men.  This  was  a  season  of  much  feeling,  as  was 
evidenced  by  the  tears  and  sobs  of  the  congregation. 
He  then  sang  a  farewell  hymn,  and  shook  hands  with 
•11 1  when  he  proceeded  to  the  door  and  went  out. 


STEWART'S'  LETTER    TO    WALKER.     247 

Some  followed  him,  and  requested  a  private  inter- 
view; which  was  granted.  They  labored  with  him  to 
abandon  his  journey,  and  remain  with  them.  But 
he  told  them  that  he  was  under  promise  to  go  ^o 
Marietta,  if  he  even  had  to  return  again,  and  which 
he  promised  he  would  do;  but  said  that  he  was  poor, 
would  have  to  stop  at  the  first  town  he  came  to,  and 
work  foi  something  to  bear  his  expenses,  and  he 
could  not  promise  to  come  back  before  July  or  Au 
gust.  Mrs.  Warpole  spoke  of  making  a  collection 
for  him ;  and  ten  dollars  were  given  him  for  the  pur- 
pose of  bearing  his  expenses. 

Some  time  after  Stewart  left  Sandusky,  some  one 
set  afloat  a  report  that  his  master,  from  Virginia,  had 
come  and  loaded  him  with  irons,  and  had  taken  him 
back  as  a  slave.  Some  gave  credit  to  the  report,  an<l 
others  did  not. 

Some  time  in  June  following,  Mr.  Walker  received 
a  letter  from  him,  in  which  was  a  written  address  to 
the  Indians;  which  he  requested  should  be  read  and 
interpreted  to  them;  with  which  request  Mr.  Walker 
readily  complied.  Both  the  letter  and  the  address 
show  Stewart  to  be  a  man  gifted  with  more  than  or- 
dinary powers  of  intellect,  as  well  as  a  large  measure 
of  divine  grace.     We,  therefore,  insert  both  entire. 

The  letter  to  Mr.  Walker  is  dated  at  Marietta, 
Ohio,  May  25,  1817,  and  reads  as  follows: 


'    **  Sir,  I  have  taken  the  liberty  of  inclosing  to  your 
care  the  within  address,  directed  to  the  Wyandott 


^W^t^WWI^ 


248 


Llt*E    AMOIfQ    tllfi    INDIANS. 


nation,  for  their  information  and  edification,  hoping 
that  it  will,  through  God's  blessing,  impress  on  their 
minds  religious  and  moral  sentiments.  I  have  taken 
the  liberty  to  address  it  to  you,  hoping  that  you  will 
have  the  goodness  to  read  it,  or  cause  it  to  be  read, 
in  their  hearing,  and  in  their  own  language,  that  they 
may  understand  its  true  meaning;  and,  moreover, 
that  you  will  try  to  impress  on  their  minds  the  ne- 
cessity of  adhering  strictly  to  the  laws  of  God — that 
their  hearts  should  be  constantly  set  upon  the  Su- 
preme Being  who  created  them ;  and  that  it  is  their 
duty  to  raise  their  voices  in  praising,  adoring,  and 
loving  that  Jesus  who  has  suffered  and  died  for  them, 
as  well  as  for  those  who  are  more  enlightened.  In- 
form them  that  although  their  brother  is  far  from 
them  in  body,  yet  his  anxiety  for  their  safety  and 
future  happiness  is  very  great.  In  doing  this,  you 
will  confer  a  favor  upon  me,  which  I  shall  ever  re- 
member with  gratitude.  My  engagements,  you  no 
doubt  recollect,  were,  that  I  should  return  about  the 
last  week  in  June;  but  misfortunes  and  disappoint- 
ments to  which  we  are  all  liable,  together  with  a 
wound  which  I  accidentally  received  on  my  leg,  will 
prevent  my  having  the  pleasure  of  seeing  or  being 
with  you  till  the  middle  of  July;  at  which  time,  I 
hope,  by  the  grace  of  God,  to  have  the  pleasure  o*^ 
seeing  you  and  the  Wyandott  people  generally.  At 
that  time  I  shall  not  fail  to  offer,  verbally,  my  grati- 
tude to  you  and  your  dear  family,  for  the  services 
you  and  they  have  rendered  me, 


STEWART'S    ADDRESS. 


249 


*^May  I  ask  you  to  have  the  goodness  to  write  to 
roe?  and  please  inform  me  of  the  general  state  of 
those  persons  that  have  reformed  since  I  first  went 
among  them,  and  how  many  have  evidenced  a  change 
since  I  came  away,  and  whether  they  continue  to 
conduct  themselves  with  that  sincerity  of  heart,  that 
would  be  acceptable  in  the  eyes  of  God;  finally, 
whether  they  'appear  as  anxious  for  my  return,  as 
they  appeared  to  be  for  my  stay  when  I  was  coming 
away.  In  attending  to  these  requests  of  mine,  you 
will  confer  an  obligation  which  will  be  ever  remem- 
bered, with  every  mark  of  gratitude  and  respect. 

"I  remain  your  humble  servant;  and  in  every  in- 
stance, sincerely  hope,  not  only  to  meet  with  your 
approbation,  but  that  also  of  my  God." 

The  address  is  replete  with  afiectionateness  of  feel- 
ing and  sound  theology,  and  evinces  deep  solicitude 
for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  those  who  had  been  con- 
verted through  his  instrumentality. 


ie,I 


At 

Irati- 

ices 


"  My  Dear  and  Beloved  Friends,— I,  your  brother 
traveler  to  eternity,  by  the  grace  and  mercy  of  God, 
am  blessed  with  this  opportunity  of  writing  to  you ; 
although  I  be  far  distant  from  you  in  body,  yet 
my  mind  is  ofttimes  upon  you.  I  pray  you  to  be 
watchful  4;hat  the  enemy  of  souls  do  not  insnare  you ; 
pray  to  the  Lord,  both  day  and  night,  with  a  sincere 
heart,  and  he  will  uphold  you  in  all  your  trials  and 
troubles.    The  words  that  I  shall  take  as  a  standard 


250 


LIVE    AMONG    TU£    INDIANS. 


to  try  to  encourage  you  from,  may  be  found  in  the 
fifth  chapter  of  Matthew,  sixth  verse:  'Blessed  are 
they  which  do  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness, 
for  they  shall  be  filled.* 

"These  words  were  spoken  by  our  Savior,  Jesus 
Christ,  and  they  are  firm  and  sure;  for  his  words  aro 
more  firm  than  the  heavens  or  the  earth.  Likewise, 
the  promise  appears  to  be  permanent;  it  does  not 
say  it  may  be,  or  perhaps,  so  as  to  leave  it  doubtful ; 
but,  *they  shall  be  filled.'  This  man,  Jesus  Christ, 
spoke  like  one  who  possessed  power  to  fill  and  satisfy 
the  hungering  soul;  and  we  have  no  reason  to  dis- 
pute his  ability  to  do  so,  knowing  that  he  made  all 
things  ':h'j,t  are  made,  and  made  man  for  his  service ; 
then  we  are  bound  to  believe  that  he  is  a  being  of  all 
power,  able  to  fulfill  all  his  promises  to  all  mankind. 
Though  he  made  us  for  his  service,  we  have  all  gone 
astray  into  the  forbidden  paths  of  sin  and  folly: 
therefore  the  promise  appears  to  be  held  out  to  a 
particular  class  of  people,  who,  happy  are  they,  if 
they  find  themselves  in  this  hungering  and  thirsting 
after  the  righteousness  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

"In  the  first  place,  my  friends,  I  shall  endeavor 
to  show  you  who  it  is  that  this  gracious  promise 
is  made  to,  or  how  it  is  that  we  have  a  right  to  this 
promise. 

"According  to  the  light  the  Lord  has  given  me, 
it  is  not  he  that  is  living  in  open  rebellion  against 
God,  and  going  contrary  to  his  command — that  closes 
his  eyes  against  the  light — that  is  barring  the  do<^ 


iting 

;avor 

)mise 

this 

kainst 
lloses 
doof 


ADDRESS    CONTIN  U£D. 


251 


of  his  heart  against  the  strivings  of  the  blessed  Spirit 
who  is  continually  admonishing  him  to  forsake  tho 
ways  of  sin,  and  turn  and  seek  tho  salvation  of  his 
soul.  But  it  is  that  man  or  woman  who  has  called 
upon  the  God  that  hears  sinners  pray,  and  who  will 
have  mercy  upon  such  as  will  call  upon  him  with 
sincerity  of  heart,  really  desiring  to  receive,  and  be- 
lieving that  he  is  able  lo  give  you.  The  Lord,  by  his 
goodness,  will  begin  to  take  off  the  vail  that  the 
enemy  has  vailed  you  with;  then  you  begin  to  see 
how  you  have  strayed  from  the  right  way.  This 
causes  the  sinner  to  be  more  and  more  engaged. 

"  This  good  and  great  Savior,  who  sees  and  knows 
the  secrets  of  every  heart,  seeing  tho  poor  soul  will 
ing  to  forsake  the  service  of  the  devil,  moves  nearer 
and  nearer  to  the  sinner — his  glorious  light  shines 
into  his  heart,  he  gives  him  to  see  the  amount  of 
crime  that  he  has  committed  against  the  blessed 
Savior,  who  hung  on  the  tree  for  the  sins  of  the 
world.  This  makes  him  mourn  and  grieve  over  his 
sins,  and  call  on  the  mighty  Sjivior,  as  his  last  and 
his  best  refuge,  for  help.  Finding  that  there  is  no 
help  in  and  of  himself,  seeing  that  all  he  has  done 
is  nothing,  this  causes  the  soul  to  try  to  make  his 
last  prayer,  crying,  *Lord,  save  or  I  perish;  thou 
wouldst  be  just  in  sending  me  to  destruction,  but 
Lord  save  for  Christ's  sake.  Lord,  I  have  done  all 
I  can  do;  take  me,  do  thy  will  with  me,  for  thou 
knowest  better  what  to  do  with  me  than  I  can  de- 
6iro.'     This  blessed  Savior  shows  his  face  with  tea 


■«■ 


252 


LIFE    AMONG    THIS    INDIANS. 


thousand  smiles — lays  hib  liand  to  the  work — brcaka 
the  snares  of  sin — unlooses  him  from  the  fetters  and 
chains  of  unbelief — sets  the  i?oul  at  liberty — puts  a 
now  song  in  his  mouth — mak«;s  the  soul  rejoice  with 
joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory;  it  is  then  he 
desires  to  go  to  his  friend  who  has  done  io  much  for 
him,  and  leave  this  troublesome  world;  but  the  soul 
has  to  stay  till  it  has  done  its  duty  on  earth,  which 
will  not  be  long. 

'^  After  a  few  more  rolling  suns  of  this  life,  the 
tempter  begins  to  tempt  him;  the  world,  the  flesh, 
and  the  devil  all  unite ;  the  poor  soul  begins  to  mourn 
and  grieve,  because  he  can  not  do  as  he  would  wish ; 
when  he  would  do  good,  evil  is  present;  then  it  is 
the  soul  begins  to  hunger  and  thirsc  after  right- 
eousness. 

"  My  friends,  be  glad  and  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  for 
this  promise  is  to  you  and  to  all  mankind;  yes,  they 
shall  be  filled  with  water  issuing  from  the  throne  of 
God.  0,  my  friends,  pray  to  God  to  give  you  a  hun- 
gering and  thirsting  after  righteousness!  Seek  for 
this  great  grace,  and  you  shall  find  it  in  due  season. 
If  you  persevere  in  the  way  of  well-doing,  you  will 
find  in  your  path  clusters  of  sweet  fruits,  that  will 
satisfy  your  hungering  souls;  and  being  faithful  to 
your  Lord's  commands,  when  you  have  made  your  way 
through  much  tribulation,  and  lie  down  on  your  dying 
bed,  you  will  be  filled  with  the  glorious  prospect  of 
the  reward  that  awaits  you.  Guardian  angels  will 
Yrait  around  your  bed,  to  bear  your  soul  away  to 


ADDRBSS    CONTINUED. 


253 


those  bright  worlds  of  everlasting  day,  where  the 
friend  of  poor  sinners  reigns.  This  fills  the  soul 
with  tae  sweets  of  love  divine.  This,  methinks,  will 
make  the  dying  bed  of  the  man,  or  woman,  ^soft  as 
downy  pillows  are.'  Therefore,  my  friends,  if  you 
hold  out  faithful,  you  will  have  part  in  the  first  resur- 
rection ;  then  it  will  be  that  you  will  see  your  Lord 
and  Master  face  to  face ;  then  it  will  be  that  you  will 
hear  that  blessed  sentence,  *  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my 
Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from 
the  foundation  of  the  world.'  Then  shall  you  sit 
down  with  the  people  of  God  in  that  kingdom,  where 
yonr  Savior,  with  his  soft  hand,  will  wipe  all  tears 
from  your  eyes.  There  you  shall  see  and  be  with 
him,  and  praise  him  to  all  eternity.  ' 

*' Having,  after  a  brf!ren  and  imperfect  manner,  my 
friends,  shown  you  the  characters  of  those  who  hun- 
ger and  thirst  after  righteousness,  I  shall  endeavor  to 
say  a  few  words  to  that  class  of  people,  who  I,  in  the 
foregoing  part  of  my  discourse,  said  had  no  part  in 
the  promise. 

"A  few  words  of  consolation  to  the  sinner;  that  is, 
the  Lord  is  willing  to  save  all  who  will  call  upon  him 
with  a  sincere  heart,  at  the  same  time  having  de- 
termined to  forsake  all  sin,  and  seek  the  salvation  of 
their  souls.  Now,  my  friends,  you  who  have  been  at 
war  against  this  great  friend  of  sinners,  now  turn, 
for,  behold,  now  is  the  accepted  time — now  is  the  day 
of  salvation.  Take  into  consideration,  realize  how 
long  the  Lord  has  spared  your  lives,  and  all  this  tiro© 


254 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


you  have  been  resisting  his  holy  and  blessed  Spirit— 
this  Spirit  the  Lord  has  sent  to  warn  you,  and  entreat 
you  to  turn  to  the  Lord.  But  0 !  my  friends,  how 
often  have  you  thrust  that  good  Spirit  away,  and 
forced  it  to  depart  from  you!  Let  me  inform  you, 
if  you  continue  to  resist  this  good  Spirit,  it  will  after 
awhile  leave  you,  never  more  to  return ;  for  God  hath 
•aid,  'My  Spi:it  shall  not  always  strive  with  man.' 
Therefore,  my  friends,  though  you  have  caused  the 
Spirit  to  go  away  grieved,  now  begin  to  encourage 
and  attend  to  its  admonitions ;  he  that  receives  it  and 
obeys  its  directions,  receives  Ohristj  and,  at  the  same 
time,  receives  God  the  Father. 

"My  friends,  if  you  will  not  adhere  to  the  Lord's 
Spirit,  neither  to  the  eiitr^aties  of  your  friend,  the 
time  draws  on  when  you  will  wish  you  had  spent 
this  glorious  opportunity  the  Lord  has  given  you,  in 
preparing  to  meet  Jlim  who  is  to  judge  the  world. 
Then  it  will  be  that  you  will  have  to  hear  and  abide 
by  that  dreadful  sentence,  *  Depart,  ye  cursed — ye 
workers  of  iniquity,  for  I  never  knew  you.'  0!  my 
friends,  con.sider  you  must  go  into  fire  prepared  for 
the  devil  and  his  angels,  where  the  worm  dieth  not 
and  the  fire  is  not  quenched.  Some  of  you  may  put 
ofi*  this,  and  think  it  is  a  long  time  yet  before  it 
comes  to  pass;  but  consiuer,  if  the  Lord  does  not 
call  you  by  judgment,  death  is  always  near,  and  is 
taking  off  our  friends  both  on  our  right  and  on  our 
left  hands.  Ah!  we  must  ail,  sooner  or  later,  be 
called  to  lie  on  a  sick-bed,  when  no  physician  cari 


ADDRESS    CONCLUDED. 


255 


effuct  a  cure,  when  death — cold  and  dreary  death, 
will  lav  hold  on  us.  Then  we  will  have  a  view  of 
awful  eternity,  and,  if  unprepared,  horror  will  seize 
upon  the  soul,  while  our  friends  vrait  around  our  bed, 
to  see  us  bid  the  world  adieu.  0,  what  anguish  will 
tear  the  soul  of  the  sinner!  What  bitter  lamenta- 
tions will  then  be  made  for  misspent  opportunities, 
slighted  mercies !  0  that  I  had  spent  my  time  more 
to  the  Lord  I  Then  you  will  say,  farewell,  my  friends, 
I  have  got  to  go,  for  devils  are  waiting  round  my 
bed,  to  drag  my  soul  away  to  hell.  Then  will  you 
remember  how  often  you  grieved  the  good  Spirit  of 
the  Lord,  how  often  you  drove  it  from  you;  but  too 
late,  you  must  go  to  endure  the  horrors  of  everlast- 
ing burnings.  • 

"  Then,  my  friends,  accept  of  my  feeble  advice ;  bear 
constantly  in  mind  the  necessity  of  obtaining  this 
blessed  promise,  and  ever  let  your  hearts  and  conduct 
be  n-uided  bv  the  directions  of  that  blessed  Savior  who 
died  for  you,  that  you  might  Jive.  You  who  have 
set  out  in  the  way  of  well-doing,  be  faithful  unto 
death,  and  you  >Yill  be  conveyed  by  angels  to  Abra- 
ham's bosom,  and  there  meet  the  sweet  salutation 
of,  'Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant,  enter  thour 
into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord.'  And  may  God  bless  you, 
and  keep  you  in  the  path  of  righteousness,  till  he 
shall  see  fit  to  close  your  eyes  in  death !  Now  may 
the  blessing,  etc.  John  Stewart." 

Ko  one  can  fail  to  mark  the  hand  of  God  both 


mvi 


256 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


in  raising  up  such  an  instrument  for  this  work,  and 
also  in  tlirusting  him  out  into  it  and  opening  his 
way  hefore  him.  His  mission  is  not  yet  completed. 
But  the  events  of  his  second  visit  we  must  reserve 
to  the  next  chapter. 


SAD    RELAPSES. 


257 


CHAPTER    X. 


fOHN  STEWART'S  RETURN  TO  THE  WYANDOTTS 

According  to  his  promise,  Siewart  returned  through 
the  wilderness  to  look  after  the  little  flock  he  had 
left  behind  him.  To  his  great  grief,  he  found  that 
but  few  remained  steadfast.  Most  of  them  had  fs»'lcn 
back  into  their  old  habits;  and  one  of  them,  a  most 
promising  young  man,  had  been  killed  in  a  drunken 
frolic.  He  lost  no  time,  but  immediately  set  about 
gathering  up  the  few  scattered  ones  that  remained. 
Some  of  them  hailed  him  with  joy;  but  others  re- 
ceived him  coldly,  and  it  was  evident  that  the  work 
had  suffered  grievous  injury  by  his  absence.  But 
nothing  could  daunt  the  noble-hearted  missionary; 
and  nothing  could  swerve  him  from  his  great  work, 
80  assured  was  he  that  his  call  was  from  God. 

Many  of  the  Indians  were  abroad,  at  the  time  of 
his  former  visit,  on  their  hunting  expeditions.  They 
were  now  all  returned,  so  that  the  inhabitants  of  tho 
villages  were  much  increased.  A  most  powerful  op- 
position was  now  raised  against  Stewart,  headed  by 
Two-Logs,  or  Bloody-Eyes,  and  Mononcue.  They 
represented,  in  the  most  glowing  terms,  the  destruc- 
tion the  Great  Spirit  would  send  upon  them  if  they 

forsook  him.     He  would  denounce  them,  they  said. 

17 


258 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


If 


as  a  nation,  and  abandon  them  forever,  if  they  em- 
braced the  new  religion.  They  then  eloquently  ex- 
horted the  people  not  to  turn  aside  from  the  religion 
of  their  fathers. 

This  opposition,  m  connection  with  the  usual  habits 
of  the  Indians,  for  a  time,  seemed  to  render  nearly 
ineffective  the  labors  of  God's  chosen  vessel  for  the 
salvation  of  the  Wyandotts.  Summer  was  the  sea- 
son of  their  amusements.  Their  feasts,  dances,  foot- 
racing, horse-racing,  ball-playing,  gambling,  and  such 
like  recreations  and  vices,  pretty  nearly  occupied 
their  entire  time  and  attention  till  the  approach  of 
fall  summoned  them  to  the  chase.  In  addition  to 
all  these  things,  reports  were  set  afloat  prejudicial 
to  the  character  of  Stewart ;  some  of  their  diviners 
also  saw  visions,  and  some  of  their  prophets  uttered 
prophecies — all  designed  to  frighten  the  people  from 
embracing  the  new  religion. 

Such  were  the  discouragements  in  the  way  of  Stew- 
art, but  none  of  these  things  could  move  the  devoted 
missionary.  He  steadily  but  cautiously  prosecuted 
his  great  work.  His  labors  were  attendee'  with  some 
success.  The  believing  Indians  became  more  con- 
firmed both  in  their  faith  and  in  their  habits;  and 
many  were  converted  and  added  to  their  number. 
Thus  he  continued  his  labors  till  the  year  1818,  when 
the  Wyandotts  and  other  tribes  were  called  to  attend 
a  grand  council,  at  Fort  Meigs,  to  form  a  new  treaty 
with  the  United  States.  While  the  Indians  were 
making  preparations  to  attend   the  treaty,  Stewart 


INTERFERENCE. 


259 


deemed  it  advisable  to  return  to  Mario ttta,  and  stay 
till  winter. 

On  his  return  a  new  scene  of  difficulty  arose.  Cer- 
tain missionaries,  traveling  to  the  north,  called  on  the 
nation ;  and  finding  that  Stewart  had  been  somewhat 
successful  in  his  labors  among  the  Wyandotts,  wanted 
him  to  join  their  Church,  saying  that  they  would  give 
him  a  good  salary.  But  he  refused,  on  the  ground 
of  his  objections  to  the  doctrines  they  held.  They 
then  demanded  his  authority  as  a  Methodist  mis- 
sionary; and  as  he  held  no  other  authority  from  the 
Church  than  an  exhorter's  license,  he  frankly  told 
them  he  had  none.  By  this  means  it  became  known 
that  he  had  no  authority  from  the  Church  to  exercise 
the  ministerial  office ;  although  he  had  both  solem- 
nized matrimony,  and  baptized  several  persons,  both 
adults  and  children,  believing  that  the  necessity  of 
the  case  justified  it.  This  operated  greatly  to  his 
disadvantage,  for  the  traders  asserted  that  he  was  an 
impostor. 

Stewart  now  determined  to  attach  himself  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  at  some  nearer  point 
than  Marietta.  In  this  winter — 1818 — he  visited  a 
tribe  of  the  Wyandotts,  that  lived  at  Solomonstown, 
on  the  Great  Miami  river.  Here  he  formed  an  ac- 
quaintance with  Robert  Armstrong,  and  with  some 
Methodist  families  that  lived  near  Bellefontaine,  and 
from  them  learned  that  the  quarterly  meeting  for 
that  circuit  would  be  held  near  Urbana.  To  this 
place  he  came,  in  company  with  some  of  the  Indians, 


I 


200 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


recommended  by  the  converted  chiefs  and  others,  as 
a  proper  person  to  be  licensed  as  a  local  preacher  in 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The  Rev.  Mosea 
Crurae  was  presiding  elder.  Of  this  event  Mr.  Crume 
th'is  speaks: 

"It  gives  me  extreme  regret  to  think  that  I  had 
not  preserved  a  particular  memorandum  of  the  licens- 
ing of  John  Stewart,  who  was  emphatically  God's 
missionary  to  the  Wyandotts.  It  was  in  the  month 
of  March,  1819,  when  I  presided  on  the  Cincinnati 
district,  that  John  met  me  in  the  town  of  Urbana, 
from  which  place  I  went  to  the  quarterly  meeting,  ac- 
companied by  that  man  of  God,  Rev.  Bishop  George. 
Here  we  found  Stewart,  with  several  of  his  red  breth- 
ren, the  Wyandotts,  with  a  recommendation  from  the 
chiefs  that  had  been  converted,  earnestly  desiring  to 
have  him  licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel,  according  to 
the  rule  and  order  of  our  Church.  At  the  proper 
time,  and  ly  the  advice  of  the  venerable  Bishop 
George,  his  case  was  brought  before  the  quarterly 
meeting  conference,  his  recommendation  read,  and 
his  brethren  heard,  who  gave  a  good  account  of  his 
life  and  labors  in  the  conversion  of  many  of  their 
nation — those  present  testifying  for  themselves  what 
God  had  done  for  them,  through  his  instrumentality ; 
and  I  think  it  was  with  the  unanimous  vote  of  that 
respectable  b.ody  of  men  that  he  was  licensed — all 
believing  they  acted  in  conformity  to  the  will  of 
God. 

**  Thus  I  have  given  a  brief  account  of  this  trans- 


Stewart's  hklpers. 


261 


mS' 


action ;  and  I  will  add  that  no  other  official  act  of  my 
ministry  gives  me  greater  satisfaction  than  to  have 
been  the  honored  instrument  of  licensing  the  first 
missionary  to  these  poor  benighted  aboriginals  of  our 
favored  country.  When  I  view  the  whole  matter,  I 
am  made  to  cry  out  with  astonishment,  and  say,  '  The 
Lord  seeth  not  as  man  seeth,  nor  are  his  thoughts  as 
our  thoughts;'  that,  instead  of  sending  some  of  our 
honorable  literary  ministers,  he  should  fix  upon  a 
poor,  unlettered  colored  exhorter,  and  send  him  to 
commence  that  great  work;  opening  a  great  and 
effectual  door  of  faith  to  our  poor  heathen  aborig- 
inals. It  is  the  Lord's  work,  and  to  him  be  all  the 
glory,  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

At  this  meeting  the  local  preachers  of  the  circuit 
volunteered  to  go  in  turn,  and  assist  Stewart  till 
the  ensuing  session  of  the  Ohio  annual  conference. 
Among  these  were  the  two  brothers,  Samuel  and 
Martin  Hitt,  Robert  Miller,  Thomas  Lansdale,  Joseph 
Mitchell,  and  Moses  Henkle,  then  an  exhorter.  But 
the  first  help  that  Stewart  received  was  from  Rev. 
Anthony  Banning,  of  Mount  Vernon.  The  news  of 
this  work  had  spread  far  and  wide,  so  that  Bishop 
M'Kendree  made  an  agreement  with  my  brother,  John 
P.  Finley,  in  the  summer  of  1818,  in  the  town  of 
Steubenville,  to  go  that  fall  and  commence  a  school 
among  them.  But  owing  to  their  unsettled  state,  and 
the  treaty  held  with  them  not  being  finally  adjusted,  he 
did  not  go.  Stewart  continued  his  labors  successfully 
umong  them,  and  many  of  the  Solomonstown  Indians 


t 


' 


262 


LIFE    AMONG    TUE    INDIANS. 


Itcgiin  to  renounce  their  heathenism ;  and  among  the 
rest,  Robert  Armstrong  embraced  religion.  This  wan 
a  great  acquisition  to  the  interests  of  this  mission 
and  the  work  of  God,  as  he  afterward  became  one 
of  our  most  zealous  and  useful  exhorters  and  inter- 
preters. 

This  mission  was  taken  into  our  regular  work  at 
the  Ohio  annual  conference,  held  at  Cincinnati,  Au- 
gust 7,  1819.  At  this  conference  I  was  appointed 
10  the  Lebanon  district,  which  extended  from  the 
Ohio  river,  and  included  Michigan  territory,  and  also 
this  mission.  I  now  became  personally  acquainted 
with  it,  and  with  this  people,  and  was  engaged  in  all 
its  operations  for  eight  years — two  years  as  presiding 
elder,  and  the  other  six  as  missionary.  Rev.  James 
Montgomery  was  appointed  this  year  as  a  missionary 
to  assist  brother  Stewart.  He  was  to  visit  the  In- 
dians once  a  month  from  his  home,  and  preach  and 
instruct  them  in  the  doctrine  and  practice  of  Chris- 
tianity. At  the  time  brother  Montgomery  was  ap- 
pointed to  this  mission  we  had  no  missionary  or  other 
funds;  and  a  collection  was  taken  up  among  the 
preachers  in  the  conference,  amounting  to  seventy 
dollars.  This  sum  answered  for  the  present.  The 
two  preachers  on  the  Mad  River  circuit.  Rev.  Russel 
Bigelow,  and  the  Rev.  Robert  W.  Finley,  were  ap- 
pointed by  the  conference,  with  myself,  as  a  com- 
mittee to  aid  the  mission  and  provide  for  the  mis- 
sionaries. 

Shortly  after  conference,  I  was  applied  to  by  Coi. 


QUARTERLY    MEETINU. 


263 


at 

ited 
the 
also 
iited 
1  all 
ding 
ames 
nary 
In- 
and 
hris- 
ap- 
ther 
the 
enty 
The 
ssel 
ap- 
com- 
mis- 

Col. 


Johnston,  the  Indian  agent,  to  release  brother  Mont- 
gomery from  his  station,  that  he  might  receive  a  sub- 
agency  among  the  Senecas.  After  deliberation  and 
consultation  with  the  committee,  I  agreed  to  his  re- 
moval, considering  it  might  be  of  great  advantage  to 
them.  I  then  employed  Moses  Henkle,  sen.,  to  take 
his  place ;  and  it  was  agreed  that  we  should  hold  our 
first  quarterly  meeting  for  the  mission  at  Zanesfield, 
on  Mad  river,  at  the  house  of  Ebenezer  Zane,  a 
half  white  man,  commencing  on  the  13th  day  of  No- 
vember, 1819. 

Accordingly  we  met,  and  there  were  present  about 
sixty  Indians;  among  whom  were  Between-the-Logs, 
Mononcue,  Hicks,  and  Scuteash,  chiefs.  Armstrong 
and  Pointer  were  the  interpreters- — both  of  whom 
enjoyed  religion.  This  was  the  first  regular  quar- 
terly meeting  held  with  the  Indians,  and  the  first 
time  I  ever  attempted  to  preach  by  an  interpreter. 
I  spoke  to  them  of  the  will  of  God  to  have  all  men 
saved,  and  to  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth. 
Brother  Henkle  followed,  and  we  concluded  by  sing- 
ing and  prayer.  It  was  a  good  time.  Some  of  our 
hymns  had  been  translated  into  their  tongue;  and 
when  we  sung  in  English,  they  sang  in  Wyandott  to 
the  same  tune. 

In  the  evening  we  met  again,  and  brother  Henkle 
preached,  and  labored  to  show  them  that  the  religion 
taught  them  by  the  Catholics  was  not  the  religion 
of  the  Bible;  that  worshiping  departed  saints  and 
images  was  idolatry;  and  that  God  required  all  men 


I 


'lU 


LIFE    AMONG    TUE    INDIANS, 


to  worship  him  in  spirit  and  truth;  that  doing  pen- 
ance,  counting  beads,  and  confessing  sins  to  the 
priest,  would  not  save  thein ;  that  nothing  but  faitn 
in  Christ  could  save  fallen  man.  The  meeting  was 
concluded  with  singing  and  prayer,  and  it  was  a 
•  profitable  time.  At  nine  o'clock  next  morning  we 
met  for  our  love-feast.  T  strove  to  show  them  the 
nature  and  design  of  a  love-feast,  and  think  I  suc- 
ceeded in  a  great  degree.  This  was  a  memorable 
morning.  The  Lord  poured  us  out  a  blessing,  and  I 
cried  out  in  the  fullness  of  my  heart,  "What  hath 
God  wrought!  Here  are  red,  white,  and  black  men, 
of  diflerent  nations  and  languages,  sitting  together 
under  the  tree  of  life,  partaking  of  its  most  precious 
fruits."  After  we  had  witnessed  our  love  to  God  and 
to  one  another,  in  the  simple  act  of  taking  a  piece 
of  bread  and  sup  of  water,  we  proceeded  to  speak 
of  o'jr  present  state  of  feeling,  and  the  dealings  of 
God  vith  our  souls.  This  was  done  through  an  in- 
terpreter. 

The  first  that  rose  as  a  witness  for  God  was  brother 
Between-the-Logs,  one  of  the  chiefs,  who  spoke  as 
follows:  "My  dear  brethren,  I  am  glad  that  the 
Great  Spirit  has  permitted  us  to  meet  here  for  so 
good  a  purpose  as  to  worship  him,  and  to  make 
strong  the  cords  of  love  and  friendship."  Then 
lifting  his  streaming  eyes  to  heaven,  with  an  excla- 
mation of  gratitude  to  God,  he  continued,  "This  is 
the  first  meeting  of  this  kind  held  for  us;  and  now, 
my  dear  brethren,  I  am  happy  that  we,  who  have 


BETWEEN-TIIE-LOOS. 


265 


been  so  long  time  apart,  and  have  been  great  eneniiea 
to  one  another,  [meaning  the  Indiana  and  whites,] 
are  come  together  as  brothers,  at  which  our  heavenly 
Father  is  well  pleased.  For  my  part,  I  have  been  a 
very  wicked  man,  and  have  committed  many  great 
sins  against  the  Good  Spirit.  I  used  to  drink  the 
white  man's  fire-water,  which  led  me  to  many  evils. 
But,  thanks  to  the  Great  Spirit,  I  am  yet  alive,  and 
he  has  opened  my  blind  eyes  to  see  these  great 
crimes,  by  means  of  his  ministers  and  the  good 
Book;  and  has  given  mc  help  to  forsake  those  sina 
and  to  turn  away  from  them.  I  now  feel  peace  in 
my  heart  toward  God  and  all  men.  But  I  feel  just 
like  a  little  child  beginning  to  walk.  Sometimes  I 
am  very  weak,  and  almost  give  up;  then  I  pray,  and 
my  great  Fathc_  in  heaven  hears  his  poor  child,  and 
gives  me  a  blessing;  then  I  feel  strong  and  happy; 
then  I  walk  again:  so  sometimes  1  stand  up  and 
walk,  and  sometimes  I  fall  down.  I  want  you  all 
to  pray  for  me,  that  I  may  never  my  more  full,  but 
always  live  happy  and  die  happy;  and  then  I  shall 
meet  you  all  in  our  great  Father's  house  above,  and 
be  happy  forever." 

The  next  who  spoke  was  John  Ilicks,  another  chief, 
a  very  grave  and  zealous  man.  Ilis  speech  was  not 
all  interpreted;  but  brother  Armstrong  told  me  that 
he  exhorted  the  Indians  to  be  enn;ao;ed  for  the  bless- 
ing,  and  urged  his  exhortation  in  the  following  man 
ner :  "  When  I  was  a  boy,  my  parents  used  to  send 
me  on  errands;  and  sometimes  I  saw  so  many  new 


2(J6 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


tilings,  that  I  would  say  to  myself,  'By  and  by  I  will 
ask,  when  I  have  seen  more;'  but  after  awhile  I 
would  forget  what  I  was  sent  for,  and  go  home  with- 
out it.  So  may  you — you  have  come  a  long  way  to 
get  a  blessing,  and  if  you  do  not  ask  for  it,  you  will 
have  to  go  home  without  it.  Then  the  wicked  Indians 
will  laugh  at  you  for  coming  so  far  for  nothing.  Now 
seek — now  ask ;  and  if  you  get  the  blessing  you  will 
be  happy,  and  go  home  right,  and  then  be  strong  to 
resist  evil  and  do  good."  He  then  concluded  by  ask- 
ing the  prayers  of  his  friends. 

Scuteash  arose,  and  with  a  serene  and  smiling 
countenance  begnn :  "I  have  been  a  great  sinner 
und  drunkard,  which  made  me  commit  many  great 
crimes,  and  the  Great  Spirit  was  very  angry  with 
me,  so  that  in  here  [pointing  to  his  breast]  I  always 
sick.  No  sleep — no  eat — no  walk — drink  whisky 
heap;  but  I  pray  the  Great  Spirit  to  help  me  quit 
getting  drunk,  and  forgive  all  my  sins,  and  he  did 
do  something  for  me.  I  do  not  know  whence  it 
comes,  or  whither  it  goes.  [Here  he  cried  out, 
*  Waugh !  waugh !'  as  if  shocked  by  electricity.] 
Now  me  no  more  sick — no  more  drink  whisky — no 
more  get  drunk — me  sleep — me  eat — no  more  bud 
man — me  cry — me  meet  you  all  in  our  great  Fa- 
ther's house  above."  Afterward  Ave,  in  turn,  told 
what  God  had  done  for  us  as  sinners,  and  our  morn- 
ing meeting  closed. 

By  this  time  I  suppose  there  were  three  hundred 
whites  gathered  from  tho   different  frontier  settle- 


PttEAOlUNO    TO    WUITES. 


2G7 


ments.  This  gave  us  the  opportunity  of  preaching 
Christ  to  them.  For  the  sake  of  convenience,  we 
separated  the  congregation,  and  I  held  meeting  with 
the  Indians  in  a  cal  in.  In  my  address  I  tried  to 
give  them  a  his'ory  of  tlie  creation;  the  fall  of  man; 
his  redemption  by  Christ;  how  Christ  was  manifested 
in  the  flesh ;  how  !.e  was  rejected,  crucified,  and  roso 
from  the  dead,  and  was  seen  by  many;  that,  in  tlie 
presence  of  more  than  five  hundred,  he  ascended  up 
into  heaven;  that  he  commanded  his  people  to  wait 
at  Jerusalem  for  the  Holy  Spirit;  and  as  wo  are 
sitting,  so  were  they,  when  it  came  down  on  them 
like  mighty  wind,  and  three  thousand  were  converted 
to  God  that  day.  At  this  they  made  the  whole  bourse 
ring  with  exclamations  of  wonder,  {waugli!  wauyh!) 
and  said,  "Great  camp  meeting."  Brothers  Henklo 
and  Stewart  then  exiiorted,  and  our  meeting  closed 
for  the  present.  We  met  again  in  the  evening,  and 
Stewart  told  me  that  the  Indians  were  determined  to 
pray  all  night,  in  order  to  obtain  a  blessing;  and  that 
they  wished  me  to  exhort  the  whites,  and  then  givo 
them  liberty  to  speak  to  their  people  and  the  whites 
too,  if  they  felt  like  doing  so.  This  being  the  ar- 
rangement, I  proceeded  to  perform  my  part  of  tho 
exercises ;  and  having  finished,  I  sat  down. 

Mononcue  then  arose,  and  for  forty  minutes  ex- 
horted the  Indians  Avith  great  zeal  and  pathos,  which 
had  a  very  manifest  effect.  His  address  was  not  in- 
terpreted; but  the  purport  was  to  look  to  God  for 
his  blessings,  and  not  to  stop  or  rest  till  he  bnd 


m 


ii 


268 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


\'m\ 

'■«%\f- 

'>\)"i 

1   .k\.: 

■Mnl-;l 

poured  his  Spirit  on  them.  He  then  addressed  the 
wliite  people  present,  by  the  interpreter,  as  follows : 
"Fathers  and  brothers,  I  am  happy  this  night,  before 
the  Great  Spirit  that  made  all  men,  red,  white,  and 
black,  that  he  has  favored  us  with  good  weather  for 
our  meeting,  and  brought  us  together,  that  we  may 
help  each  other  to  do  good  and  get  good.  The  Great 
Spirit  has  taught  you  and  us  both  in  one  thing — tliat 
we  should  love  one  another,  and  fear  him.  He  has 
taught  us  by  his  Spirit;  and  you,  white  men,  by  the 
good  Book,  which  is  all  one.  But  your  Book  teaches 
us  more  plainly  than  we  were  taught  before,  what  is 
for  our  good.  To  be  sure,  we  worshiped  the  Great 
Spirit  sincerely,  with  feasts,  rattles,  sacrifices,  and 
dances,  which  we  now  see  v/as  not  all  right.  Now 
some  of  our  nation  are  trying  to  do  better,  but  we 
have  many  hinderances,  some  of  which  I  mean  to  tell. 
The  white  men  tell  us,  that  they  love  us,  and  we 
believe  some  of  them  do,  and  wish  us  well.  But  a 
great  many  do  not;  for  they  bring  us  whisky,  which 
has  been  the  ruin  of  uf  and  our  people.  I  can  com- 
pare whisky  to  nothing  but  the  devil;  for  it  brings 
with  it  all  kinds  of  evil.  It  destroys  our  happiness, 
it  makes  Indians  poor;  deprives  our  squaws  and  chil- 
dren of  their  food  and  clothing;  makes  us  lie,  steal, 
and  kill  one  another.  All  these,  -and  many  other 
evils,  it  brings  among  us;  therefore  you  ought  not 
to  bring  it  to  us.  You  white  people  make  it;  you 
know  its  strength;  wo  do  not.  But  it  is  a  great 
curse  to  your  own  people.    Why  not  ce.ase  making 


THE    GOOD    BOOK. 


2039 


it?  This  is  one  argument  used  by  wicked  Indians 
against  the  good  Book.  If  it  is  so  good,  say  they, 
why  do  not  all  white  men  follow  it,  and  do  good? 
Another  hinderance  is,  that  Avhite  men  cheat  Indians; 
take  their  money,  skins,  and  furs,  for  a  trifle.  Noav, 
your  good  Book  forbids  all  this.  Why  not,  then,  do 
what  it  tells  you?  Then  Indians  would  do  right,  too. 
Yon  say  the  Great  Spirit  loves  all,  white,  red,  and 
black  men,  that  do  right.  Why  do  you,  then,  look  at 
Indians  as  below  you,  and  treat  them  as  if  they  were 
not  brothers?  Does  your  good  Book  tell  you  so?  I 
am  sure  it  does  not.  Now,  brothers,  let  us  all  do 
right;  then  our  great  Father  will  be  pleased,  and 
make  us  happy  in  this  world,  and  after  death  we  shall 
all  live  together  in  his  house  above,  and  always  be 
happy." 

Then  Between-the-Logs  arose,  and  desiring  to  bo 
heard,  spoke  as  follows:  "Will  you  have  patience  to 
hear  me,  and  I  will  give  you  a  history  of  religion 
among  the  Indians  for  some  time  back,  and  how  we 
have  been  deceived.  Our  fathers  had  a  religion  of 
their  own,  by  which  they  served  God,  and  were  lia^py 
before  any  white  man  came  among  them.  Tliey  used 
to  worship  with  feasts,  sacrifices,  dances,  aii<l  rattles; 
in  doing  which  they  thought  they  were  right.  Our 
parents  wished  us  to  be  good,  and  they  UHod  to  make 
us  do  good,  and  would  sometimes  c/>rrect  us  for  doing 
evil.  But  a  great  while  ago  the  Fren<'h  sent  us  the 
good  Book  by  a  Roman  priest,  and  wo  listened  to 
him.     He  taught  us  that  wc  must  confess  our  sins. 


m 


\i 


I'M  ' 
biSi  i! 


270 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


and  he  would  forgive  them;  that  we  must  worship 
Lady  Mary,  and  do  penance.  He  baptized  us  with 
spittle  and  salt;  and  many  of  us  did  sis  he  told  us. 
Now,  we  thought,  to  be  sure  we  are  right.  He  told 
us  to  pray,  and  to  carry  the  cross  on  our  breasts. 
He  told  us  also  that  it  was  wrong  to  drink  whisky. 
But  we  found  that  he  would  drink  it  himself,  and  we 
followed  his  steps  and  got  drunk  too.  At  last  our 
priest  left  us,  and  this  religion  all  died  away.  Then 
we  thought  we  would  return  to  our  fathers'  religion 
again.  So  many  of  us  left  off  getting  drunk,  and 
we  began  again  to  do  pretty  -  ell.  Then  the  Seneca 
Prophet  arose,  and  pretended  that  he  had  talked  to 
the  Great  Spirit,  and  that  hf'  had  told  him  what  In- 
dians ought  to  do.  So  we  heard  and  folloAved  him. 
It  is  true,  he  told  us  many  good  things,  and  that  we 
ought  not  to  drink  whisky;  but  soon  we  found  that 
he  was  like  the  Roman  priest — he  would  tell  us  we 
must  not  do  things,  and  yet  do  them  himself.  So 
here  we  were  deceived  again.  Then,  after  these 
cheats,  we  thought  our  fathers'  religion  was  still  the 
best,  and  we  would  take  it  up  again  and  follow  it. 
"After  some  time  the  great  Shawnee  Prophet  arose. 
Well,  we  heard  him,  and  some  of  us  followed  hira  for 
awhile.  But  w^e  had  now  become  very  jealous,  hav- 
ing been  deceived  so  often,  and  we  watched  him  very 
closely,  and  soon  found  him  like  all  the  rest.  Then 
we  left  him  also;  and  now  we  were  made  strong  in 
the  religion  of  our  fathers,  and  concluded  to  turn 
away  from  it  no  more.     We  made  another  trial  to 


B  E  T  W  E  E  N  -  T  II  E  -  I  0  G  S  . 


271 


establish  it  firmly,  and  had  made  some  progress,  when 
the  war  broke  out  between  our  father,  the  President, 
and  King  George.  Our  nation  was  for  war  with  the 
King,  and  every  man  wanted  to  be  a  big  man.  Then 
we  drank  whisky,  and  fought;  and,  by  the  time  the 
war  was  over,  we  were  all  scattered,  and  many  killed 
and  dead.  But  the  chiefs  thought  they  would  gather 
the  nation  together  once  more.  We  had  a  good  many 
collected,  and  were  again  establishing  our  Indian  re- 
ligion. Just  at  this  time  a  black  man,  Stewart,  our 
brother  here,  [pointing  to  him,]  came  to  us,  and  told 
us  he  was  sent  by  the  Groat  Spirit  to  tell  us  the 
true  and  good  way.  But  we  thought  that  he  was 
like  all  the  rest;  that  he  wanted  to  cheat  us,  and 
get  our  money  and  land  from  us.  He  told  us  of  all 
our  sins;  showed  us  that  drinkaig  whisky  was  ruin- 
ing us ;  that  the  Great  Spirit  wa  i  angry  with  us ;  and 
that  we  must  leave  off  these  things.  But  Ave  treated 
him  ill,  and  gave  him  but  little  to  eat,  and  trampled 
on  him,  and  were  jealous  of  him  for  a  whole  year. 
We  are  sure,  if  the  Great  Spirit  had  not  sent  him, 
he  could  not  have  borne  with  our  treatment. 

"About  this  time  our  father,  the  President,  applied 
to  us  to  buy  our  lands,  and  we  had  to  go  to  the 
great  city  to  see  him.  When  we  came  home  our  old 
preacher  was  still  with  us,  telling  us  the  same  things; 
and  we  could  find  no  fault  or  alteration  in  him. 
About  this  time  he  talked  about  leaving  us,  to  see 
his  friends ;  and  our  squaws  told  us  that  we  were 
fools  to  let  him  go,  for  the  great  God  had  f  v»nt  him, 


'i:  M 


ill 
i 


272 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


and  we  ought  to  adopt  him.  But  still  we  wanted  to 
hear  longer.  They  then  told  us  what  God  had  done 
for  thera  by  this  man.  So  we  attended  his  meeting 
in  the  council-house,  and  the  Great  Spirit  came  upon 
us  so  that  some  cried  aloud,  some  clapped  their  hands, 
some  ran  away,  and  some  were  angry.  We  held  our 
meeting  all  night,  sometimes  singing  and  sometimes 
praying;  By  this  time  we  were  convinced  that  God 
had  sent  him  unto  us;  and  then  we  adopted  him, 
and  gave  him  mother  and  children.  About  this  time 
a  few  of  us  went  to  a  great  camp  meeting  near  Leb- 
anon, Warren  county,  Ohio,  and  were  much  blessed, 
and  very  happy.  As  soon  as  this  work  was  among 
us  at  Sandusky,  almost  every  week  some  preachers 
would  come  and  tell  us  they  loved  us,  and  would 
take  us  and  our  preacher  under  their  care,  tnd  give 
us  schools,  and  do  all  for  us  that  we  wished.  But 
we  thought  if  they  loved  Indians  so,  why  not  go  to 
the  Senecas  and  Mohawks?  They  have  no  preacher; 
we  have  ours.  Some  told  us  that  we  must  be  bap- 
tized all  over  in  the  water,  to  wash  away  our  sins. 
And  now  they  said  they  cared  much  for  us;  but  be- 
fore Stewart  came,  they  cared  nothing  for  us.  Now 
some  of  us  are  trying  to  do  good,  and  are  happy. 
We  find  no  alteration  in  Stewart.  But  when  others 
come,  and  our  youii^-  r^^^n  will  not  sit  still,  they  scold; 
and  we  believe  Stewart  is  the  best  man.  Some  of 
the  white  people  that  live  among  us,  and  can  talk 
our  language,  say,  'The  Methodists  have  bewitched 
you;'  and  that,  'it  is   all  nothing  but  the  Avorks  ot 


■WWWmHP-WWI»»" 


SPEECH    CONCLUDED. 


273 


1 


the  devil ;  and  the  whites  want  to  get  you  tamed, 
and  then  kill  ycu,  as  they  did  the  Moravian  Indians 
on  the  Tuscarawas  river.'  I  told  them  that  if  Ave 
Avere  to  be  killed,  it  was  time  for  us  all  to  be  praying. 
Some  white  people  put  bad  things  in  the  minds  of 
our  young  Indians,  and  make  our  way  rough."  1)C- 
twecn-the-Logs  concluc^ed.  his  address  by  telling  of 
the  goodneis  of  the  Lord,  and  requesting  an  interest 
in  the  prayers  of  his  people. 

All  commenced  singing  and  praying — some  in  In- 
dian and  some  in  English;  and  the  Avhole  night  was 
spent  in  these  exercises.  Just  before  day  the  Lord 
answered  as  by  fire!  0,  what  a  joyful  time  was  this! 
All  seemed  dissolved  in  love.  In  the  morning  we 
parted. 

God  has  wrought  a  great  work  among  this  people. 
I  think  it  was  stated  that  about  sixty  of  them  had 
embraced  Christianity,  But  there  had  been  no  reg- 
ular society  formed  among  them.  I  have  been  more 
lengthy  in  giving  the  reader  an  account  of  this  meet- 
ing, because  it  was  the  first  of  the  kind,  ever  held 
among  them.  '  ' 

At  the  close  of  the  first  year  of  brother  Henklc's 
labor  among  the  Wyandotts,  they  addressed  the  ^  Mii 
conference,  to  be  held  at  Chillicothe,  August,  1820. 

At  the  close  of  public  worship  on  Sunday,  IGth 
of  July,  1820,  I  addressed  the  Wyandotts.  by  the  in- 
terpreter, as  follows :  ' 

"My  Friends,  and  you,  Chiefs,  in  particular, — 

I  ha\  c  one  word  to  say.     I  expect  to  meet  our  good 

18 


i 


'i  ii 


274 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


old  chiefs  and  fathers  in  the  Church  at  Chillicothe, 
before  I  come  to  see  you  again,  and  they  will  ask 
me  how  you  come  on  in  serving  the  Lord,  and  if 
you  want  them  to  keep  sending  you  preachers  any 
longer,  to  tell  you  the  good  word,  or  if  you  have  any 
choice  in  preachers  to  come  to  teach  you?" 

In  reply  to  these  inquiries,  the  following  answer 
was  given : 

"Our  chiefs  are  not  all  here,  and  we  must  have 
all  our  chiefs  and  queens  together,  apd:''they  must 
all  speak  their  minds,  and  then  we  will  let  the  old 
father  know." 

They  appointed  to  meet  me  at  Negrotown,  on  Wed- 
nesday, on  my  return  from  Senecatown;  and,  having 
returned,  I  found  them  assembled  and  prepared  to 
answer.  On  entering  in  among  them,  a  seat  was  set 
in  the  midst  of  the  room,  and  I  was  requested  to  take 
the  seat,  which  I  declined ;  but  took  my  seat  in  their 
circle,  against  the  wall,  and  directed  the  interpreter 
ko  take  the  middle  seat,  which  was  done.  After  a 
short  silence  I  spoke :  "  Dear  friends  and  brothers,  I 
am  thankful  to  find  you  all  here,  and  am  now  pre 
pared  to  hear  your  answer." 

Mononcue,  chairman  and  speaker  for  them  all,  an- 
swered :        .  .  : 

"  We  let  our  old  father  know  that  we  have  put  the 
question  round  which  was  proposed  on  Sunday  even- 
ing in  the  council-house,  and  our  queens  give  their 
answer  first,  saying : 

"  We  thank  the  old  father  for  comino;  to  see  us  so 


THE    SPEAKEllS       REPLY. 


275 


|n- 

he 
|n- 
fcir 

Iso 


often,  and  speaking  the  good  word  to  us,  and  we  want 
liim  to  keep  coming  and  never  forsake  us;  and  we 
let  liim  know  that  we  love  this  religion  too  well  to 
give  it  up  while  we  live;  for  Ave  think  it  will  go  bad 
with  our  people  if  they  quit  this  religion;  afid  we 
want  our  good  brother  Stewart  to  stav  always  among 
us,  and  our  brother  Jonathan,  too,  and  to  help  us 
along  as  they  have  done.  Next  we  let  the  old  father 
know  what  our  head  chiefs  and  the  others  have  to 
say.  They  are  willing  that  the  Gospel  word  should 
be  continued  among  them,  and  they  will  try  to  do 
good  themselves,  and  help  others  to  do  so  too;  but  as 
for  the  other  things  that  are  mentioned,  they  say,  wo 
give  it  all  over  to  our  speakers;  just  what  they  say 
we  agree  to;  they  know  better  about  these  things 
than  we  do,  and  they  may  let  the  old  father  knoAV 
their  mind." 

The  speakers  reply  for  themselves :  .       ' 

"We  thank  the  fathers  in  conference  for  sending 
us  preachers  to  help  our  brother  Stewart,  and  we 
desire  the  old  father  to  keep  coming  at  least  another 
year  when  his  year  is  out ;  and  we  want  our  brother 
Armstrong  to  come  as  often  as  he  can,  and  our 
brothers  Stewart  and  Jonathan  to  stay  among  us  and 
help  us,  as  they  have  done;  and  we  hope  our  good 
fathers  will  not  give  us  up  because  so  many  of  our 
people  are  wicked  and  do  wrong ;  for  we  believe  some 
white  men  are  wicked  yet,  that  had  the  good  word 
preached  to  them  longer  than  our  people ;  and  our 
great  heavenly  Father  has  had  long  patience  with  us 


n  H 


t! 


276 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


all ;  and  we  let  the  old  fathers  know  that  we,  the 
speakers,  will  not  give  over  speaking  and  telling  our 
people  to  live  in  the  right  way ;  and  if  any  of  us  do 
wrong,  we  will  still  try  to  help  him  right,  and  let 
none' go  wrong;  and  we  will  try  to  make  our  head 
chief?  and  all  our  people  better,  and  we  are  one  in 
voice  with  our  queens,  and  we  all  join  in  giving 
thanks  to  our  good  fathers  that  care  for  our  souls, 
and  are  willing  to  help  our  people;  and  we  want 
them  all  to  pray  for  us,  and  we  will  pray  for  them, 
and  we  hope  our  great  heavenly  Father  will  bless  U9 
,all,  and  this  is  the  last. 

"  Between-the-Logs, 

"John  Hicks, 

"  MoNONCUE,  Chief  Speaker, 

"Peacock, 

"  Squindeguty. 
"  J"MZy  27,  1820." 


The  council  consisted  of  twelve  chiefs,  and  five 
queens,  or  female  counselors.  Seven  of  the  coun- 
selors of  the  nation  Averc  religious,  and  five  of  them 
were  speakers. 

This  ends  the  year  1819-20,  and  brother  Henkla 
was  reappointed  at  the  conference  held  in  Chillicothe, 
August,  1820.      V  ,    :      V  .         •    V       : 

We  held  regular  quarterly  meetings  Avith  them. 
Stewart  contir.  led  his  labors  among  them,  as  Avell 
as  brother  Hcnklc,  who  visited  them  fi'om  his  resi- 
dence on  Buck  creek,  in  Clark  couuty,  once  a  mouth, 


Iri;:! 


ive 
in- 
im 

lie, 

im. 
•ell 

?si- 
Ith. 


CHRISTIANITY  —  CIVIL  rZATlON.       277 

and  staid,  perhaps,  two  Sabbaths  every  time.  From 
this  arrangement,  there  was  but  little  done  to  improve 
the  nation.  Some  held  on  their  way,  others  were 
converted,  and  some  returned  to  their  former  habits. 
This  was  the  first  Indian  mission  under  the  care 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  the  begin- 
ning of  a  saving  work  of  God  on  the  hearts  of  the 
aboriginals  of  our  country,  in  the  Mississippi  Valley. 
The  doctrine  always  taught,  and  the  principle  acted 
upon,  were,  that  they  must  be  first  civilized  before 
they  can  be  Christianized.  Hence,  the  Government 
and  individual  societies  labored  to  civilize  them,  by 
teaching  them  the  art  of  farming.  But  the  labor 
was  in  vain.  A  man  must  be  Christianized,  or  he 
never  can  be  civilized.  He  will  always  be  a  savage 
till  the  grace  of  God  makes  his  heart  better,  and  then 
he  will  soon  become  civil  and  a  good  citizen.  We 
labored  to  get  these  Indians  to  submit  to  have  a 
school  among  them,  on  the  manual  labor  principle, 
but  could  iiot  succeed  till  July,  1821.  On  my  way 
to  Detroit,  to  a  quarterly  meeting,  I  pressed  this 
subject  upon  them  with  great  earnestness,  by  showing 
the  benefits  that  must  result  to  their  children.  Their 
hunting  was  now  gone ;  they  were  pent  up  on  a  small 
tract  of  land,  and  must  work,  steal,  or  starve;  the 
Church,  the  Government,  and  all,  were  waiting  to 
aff'ord  them  help ;  and  they,  in  their  last  treaty,  had 
made  a  reserve  of  one  section  of  land  for  this  pur- 
pose; and  to  delay,  was  to  injure  themselves  and 
their  children.     They  promised  that  they  would  give 


■'i 


ill  i 


ml 


27& 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    I  N  P  f  A  iV  S . 


me  an  answer  when  I  should  come  back.  They  took 
the  matter  into  careful  consideration.  They  exam- 
ined the  whole  ground  with  the  utmost  exactness,  and 
matured  it  by  frequent  reviews.  Accordingly,  on  my 
return,  they  presented  me  with  an  address,  to  carry 
to  the  conference,  to  be  held  at  Lebanon,  in  August, 
1821.  The  paper  was  read  before  the  conference 
was  received  with  great  cordiality,  and  promptly  met 
with  a  hearty  response,  according  to  their  wishes. 
The  following  is  a  copy : 

"THE  CHIEFS  OF  THE  WYANDOTT  NATION,  IN  COUNCIL 
ASSEMBLED  AT  UPPER  SANDUSKY,  TO  THE  HEAD  MIN- 
ISTERS AND  FATHERS  OF  THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL 
CHURCH,  TO  MEET  AT  LEBANON,  OHIO  : 

"We,  your  Wyandott  brethren,  acknowledge  former 
favors  thankfully,  and  wish  peace  and  health  to  at- 
tend you  all.  We  further  inform  you,  that  lately  o-n* 
council  have  resolved  to  admit  a  missionary  school 
to  be  established  among  us,  at  Upper  Sandusky;  and 
have  selected  a  section  of  land  for  that  purpose,  at 
a  place  called  Camp  Meigs,  where  there  is  spring- 
water,  and  other  conveniences;  and  all  other  neces- 
sary privileges  that  may  be  required  for  the  further- 
ance of  said  school,  shall  be  freely  contributed,  as 
far  as  our  soil  affords:  Provided,  the  same  does  not 
intrude  on  any  former  improvements  made  by  our  own 
people,  which  are  not  to  be  intruded  upon.  More- 
over, we  will  endeavor  to  supply  the  school  with 
scholars  of  our  own  nation  suflficient  to  keep  it  in 
action;    and  we  will   admit  children  of  our  white 


ADDRESS    TO    TUE    CON  F£  HENCE.       279 


friends  who  live  among  us.  As  to  the  number  of 
scholars  our  people  will  furnieh  the  school  to  com- 
mence with,  we  can  not  state.  We  are  not  sure  of 
the  number.  We  refer  you  to  father  Ilenklc,  who  . 
can  inform  you  more  fully  of  the  prospect,  and  the 
probable  number  which  can  be  collected.  But  many 
more  will,  we  hope,  come  in,  especially  if  the  chil 
dren  are  boarded  and  clothed  as  our  brethren  have 
proposed;  and  if  our  teacher  be  a  good  and  wise 
man,  we  may  expect  more  children.  Wc  would  fur- 
ther let  the  conference  know,  that  we  wish  our 
teacher  to  be  a  preacher,  that  can  preach  and  bap- 
tize our  children,  and  marry  our  people — a  man  that 
loves  our  nation;  that  loves  us  and  our  children; 
one  that  can  bear  with  our  ignorance  and  weakness. 
And  if  conference  sends  a  preacher,  as  we  have  re- 
quested, to  be  our  schoolmaster,  we  think  theie  will 
be  no  need  of  a  traveling  missionary  to  be  continued 
among  us,  as  we  expect  our  house  will  be  taken  into 
Delaware  circuit  at  conference,  which  is  our  request. 
And  in  hopes  that  our  good  and  worthy  fathers, 
and  all  that  wish  peace  and  prosperity  to  our  nation, 
are  well  and  doing  well,  and  will  always  pray  for 
us,  and  help  us,  by  sending  us  good  men  and  goo  i 
counsel,  we  subscribe  ourselves  your  humble  fellow 
servants  in  our  great  and  good  Lord  God  Almighty 
Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost.     Amen." 


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IiIPEAMONG    Tllfi    INDIA  KS. 


dough-so,  Ta-hu-waugh-ta-ro-de,  all  chiefs;  and  cer- 
tified as  being  done  in  the  presence,  and  by  the 
interpretation  of,  William  Walker,  United  States  In- 
terpreter, and  Moses  Henkle,  sen.,  missionary. 

I  could  not  meet  this  council  on  my  way  back  from 
Detroit,  as  there  was  a  great  rise  in  the  streams  from 
the  incessant  rain  that  had  fallen.  When  I  came  to 
Muskalunge  creek,  on  my  way  to  Detroit,  it  was  ovei 
its  banks,  and  all  the  bottoms  were  covered  with  water. 
I  came  back  to  Lower  Sandusky,  and  hired  a  French- 
man to  pilot  me  through  to  Fort  Meigs.  With  him  1 
made  the  second  attempt,  but  could  not  succeed.  1 
then  returned  as  far  as  Fort  Ball,  where  I  left  my 
horse,  and  hired  two  young  Indians  to  take  me  to 
Portland,  in  a  bark  canoe.  We  started  about  noon, 
and  the  Sandusky  river  being  very  full,  our  bark 
canoe  went  over  the  rapids  almost  with  the  swiftness 
of  a  bird.  But  when  we  got  down  to  eddy  water, 
which  we  reached  a  short  distance  below  Lower  San- 
dusky, we  met  schools  of  fish,  called  sheep-head;  and 
they  much  annoyed  us,  by  sticking  fast  to  the  bottom 
of  our  canoe.  Once  in  awhile  one  of  the  Indians, 
who  steered  for  us,  would  take  his  butcher-knife  out 
of  his  belt,  and  slip  down  his  arm  into  the  water  and 
stab  one  of  them,  and  it  would  almost  jump  on  board. 
But  they  not  being  good  to  eat,  we  cared  not  to  take 
any  of  them.  We  had  no  provisions  with  us,  and 
depended  on  killing  deer.  My  comrades  fired  several 
times,  but  were  not  so  fortunate  as  to  kill  any.  Night 
came  on,  and  we  had  no  place  to  stop  at  till  we  got 


tTNCOMPORTABLE    VOYAGE. 


281 


down  into  the  great  marshes,  at  the  mouth  of  tin 
river.  There  was  an  ohl  Frcnclnnan,  Poskill  by  name, 
that  lived  in  this  marsh,  and  cauglit  muskrats.  We 
arrived  at  his  poor  wigwam  in  tlie  night,  and  found 
nothing  to  eat  L^t  muskrats,  and  no  slielter  scarcely 
But  0!  the  fleas  and  musketoes!  This  was  one  of 
the  most  disagreeable  nights  of  my  life.  As  soon  as 
possible  in  the  morning,  Ave  set  sail,  and  soon  got 
into  the  bay,  which  is  twelve  miles  long,  and  from 
four  to  six  broad.  My  Indians  Avanted  me  to  take 
the  middle  chute;  but  the  Avind  Avas  bloAving  fresh 
from  the  east,  and  I  kncAv  if  it  got  much  higher,  it 
would  capsize  our  light  vessel.  So  I  prevailed  on 
them  to  coast  it  round  the  shore,  and  often  Ave  had 
to  run  to  the  land,  and  pull  our  seam  boat — as  the 
Indians  cull  it — out  of  the  water  and  empty  it.  The 
Avind  increased  as  the  day  advanced,  till,  in  doubling 
Nigro  Point,  opposite  Goat  Island,  our  canoe  sank, 
about  tAvo  hundred  yards  from  the  shore.  We  had 
now  to  SAvim,  and  take  our  canoe  Avith  us.  When  Ave 
reached  the  shore,  it  took  us  some  time  to  empty  and 
fix  up  again.  We  carried  our  boat  across  the  Point, 
and  soon  set  oflf  again. 

In  the  evening  Ave  reached  our  place  of  destina- 
tion, hungry  and  much  fatigued,  having  had  nothing 
but  two  small  cakes  among  three  oi  us,  for  one  day 
and  a  half.  Next  evening  I  got  on  board  of  the 
steamboat  Walk-in-the-Avater,  and  on  Saturday  morn- 
ing arrived  at  Detroit.  Here  I  heard  that  brother 
Kent  was  sick  at  Fort  Meigs,  and  I  had  to  hold  tha 


ffr 


I 


■■■■ 


■■■■■■■1 


282 


LlPfi    AMONG    THE    1  N  t)  J  A  J?  S  . 


quarterly  meeting  alone,  till   it  closed,  on  Montlay 
morning. 

There  was  a  string  of  appointments  made  for  me, 
up  the  River  Rouge.  I  obtained  a  pony,  and  on 
Tuesd.ay  rode  twenty-five  miles,  preached  twice,  and 
SAvam  the  river  three  times.  I  passed  over  to  Ecorse 
river  and  Brownstown ;  got  back  to  Detroit  on  Satur- 
day ;  preached  there  on  Sabbath ;  set  sail  on  Monday 
for  Portland ;  and  on  Tuesday  hired  an  Indian's  horse 
to  ride  to  Lower  Sandusky.  The  Indian,  who  accom- 
panied me,  was  a  little  intoxicated.  He  ran  before 
me,  and  would  say  to  me,  **Good  horse."  "Yes," 
I  would  answer.  "How  much  you  give?"  I  told 
him  I  did  not  want  to  buy;  I  had  no  money.  He 
said,  "You  lie — you  cheat  Indian — you  Kentucky." 
We  had  not  traveled  more  than  half  the  distance  till 
we  came  across  a  camp  of  Indians  that  were  drink- 
ing. Here  my  guide  stopped  to  get  a  little  more 
stimulus;  but  I  rode  on.  I  soon  heard  him  yelling 
behind  me ;  but  I  urged  on  his  horse,  and  kept  before 
him  till  I  arrived  at  Lower  Sandusky.  When  he 
cam.!  up,  he  said  to  me,  "You  rascal — ^you  steal 
Indian's  horse — you  rascal — you  Kentucky  rascal.** 
Here  he  abused  me  till  I  gave  him  half  a  dollar, 
which  cooled  him  oft'.  That  evening  I  reached  Fort 
Ball,  and  found  my  fine  horse  so  eaten  with  flies  and 
musketoes,  that  I  could  hardly  get  him  home. 


APPOINTED    MISSIONARY. 


283 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  AUTHOR  APPOINTED  MISSIONARY  TO  THB 

WYANDOTTS. 

The  application  of  the  Indian  council  for  a  resi- 
dent missionary,  and  for  the  establishment  of  a  per- 
manent school  among  them,  was  received  with  great 
favor  by  the  conference,  and  acted  upon  with  great 
unanimity.     I  was  appointed  missionary. 

There  was  no  plan  of  operation  furnished  me,  no 
provision  made  for  the  mission  family,  no  house  to 
shelter  them,  nor  supplies  for  the  winter;  and  there 
was  only  a  small  sum  of  money,  amounting  to  two 
hundred  dollars,  appropriated  for  the  beneCt  of  the 
mission.  However,  I  set  about  the  work  of  prepara- 
tion to  move.  I  had  a  suitable  wagon  made,  bought 
a  yoke  of  oxen,  and  other  things  necessary — took 
my  own  furniture  and  household  goods,  and  by  the 
eighth  of  October  was  on  my  way.  I  had  hired  two 
young  men,  and  one  young  woman,  and  SiSter  Harrii  t 
Stubbs  volunteered  to  accompany  us  as  a  teacher. 
These,  with  my  wife  and  self,  made  the  whole  mission 
family. 

We  were  eight  days  making  our  way  out.  Sixty 
miles  of  the  road  was  almost  impassable.  From 
Markley's,  on  the  Scioto,  to  Upper  Sandusky,  there 


;M' 


■■■■■I 


284 


LifE    AMOXG    the    INDIANS. 


were  but  two  or  three  cabins.  But  by  tlie  blessing 
of  kind  Providence,  we  arrived  safe,  and  were  re- 
ceived by  all  with  the  warmest  affection.  There  was 
no  house  on  the  section  of  land  we  wore  to  occupy; 
but  by  the  kindness  of  brother  Lewis,  the  blacksmith, 
we,  were  permitted  to  occupy  a  new  cabin  he  had 
built  for  his  family.  It  was  without  door,  window, 
or  chinking.  Here  we  unloaded,  and  set  up  our 
Ebenezer.  The  Sabbath  folloAving  we  held  meeting 
in  the  council-house,  and  had  a  large  congregation. 
Brother  Stewart  was  present,  and  aided  in  the  exer- 
cises. We  had  a  good  meeting,  and  the  prospect  of 
better  times. 

We  now  selected  the  place  for  building  our  mission 
house.  It  was  on  the  spot  called  "Camp  Meigs," 
where  Governor  Meigs  had  encamped  with  the  Ohio 
militia,  in  time  of  the  last  war,  on  the  west  bank  of 
the  Sandusky  river,  about  a  mile  below  the  post  of 
"Upper  Sandusky."  On  this  very  spot  were  buried 
many  of  my  old  acquaintances,  and  «ome  of  my 
youthful  companions,  who  had  died  at  this  place. 
Here  I  had  the  following  meditations:  "My  dear 
companions  are  gone.  They  died  in  the  service  of 
their  country,  in  warring  against  their  fellow-men. 
But  I  have  come  to  make  war  on  a  different  enemy, 
and  under  another  Captain,  and  with  different  weap- 
ons. I,  too,  may  fall  in  this  conflict;  but  if  faithful, 
it  will  be  to  rise  again  to  certain  victory:" 

We  commenced  getting  logs  to  put  us  up  a  shelter 
for  the  winter.    The  first  week,  one  of  my  hands  left 


tte  ■ 


winter's  work. 


285 


me.  A  day  or  two  after,  while  we  were  in  the  woods 
cutting  down  timber,  a  dead  limb  fell  from  the  tree 
we  were  chopping,  on  the  head  of  the  other  young 
man,  so  that  he  lay  breathless.  I  placed  him  on  the 
wagon,  drove  home  half  a  mile  or  more,  and  then 
bled  him  before  he  recovered  his  senses.  I  now  be- 
gan to  think  that  those  were  hard  times.  Wi liter  wj«s 
coming  on,  and  my  family  exposed  in  an  Indian  coun- 
try, without  a  house  to  live  in.  For  years  I  had  done 
but  little  manual  labor.  But  the  Lord  blessed  me 
with  great  peace  in  my  soul.  My  worthy  friend, 
George  Riley,  recovered  from  his  liurt,  and  we  both 
worked  almost  day  ?ind  night,  till  the  skin  came  oft* 
the  inside  of  my  hands.  I  took  oak  bark,  boiled  it, 
and  washed  my  hands  in  the  decoction,  and  they  soon 
got  well,  and  became  hard.  We  built  a  cabin-liouse, 
twenty  by  twenty-three  feet,  and  without  door,  win- 
dow, or  loft.  On  the  very  day  that  snow  began  to 
fall,  we  moved  into  it.  The  winter  soon  became  ex- 
tremely cold.  We  made  a  stable  of  one  of  the  old 
block-houses  for  our  cattle;  and  cut,  hauled,  and 
hewed  logs  to  put  up  a  double  house,  forty-eight 
feet  long  by  twenty  wide,  a  story  and  a  half  high. 
We  hauled  timber  to  the  saw-mill,  and  sawed  it  our- 
selves into  joists  and  plank,  for  the  floors  and  other 
purposes.  I  think  I  can  say  that  neither  brother 
Riley  nor  myself  sat  down  to  eat  one  meal  of  vict- 
uals that  winter,  but  by  candle-light,  except  on  Sab- 
bath days.  We  always  went  to  bed  at  nine,  and  rose 
at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  by  daylight  we 


I 


n 


wmfm^fim 


286 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


were  ready  to  engage  in  the  business  and  toils  of 
the  day. 

In  addition  to  this  I  preached  every  Sabbath,  and 
met  chiss,  attended  prayer  meeting  once  every  week, 
and  hibored  to  rear  up  the  Church.  Brother  Stewart 
assisted  when  he  was  able  to  labor,  but  his  pulmonary 
affliction  confined  him  the  most  of  his  time  to  the 
house,  and  I  employed  him .  to  teach  a  small  school 
of  ten  or  twelve  Indian  children,  at  the  Big  Spring; 
for  these  people  were  so  anxious  to  have  their  chil- 
dren taught,  that  they  could  not  wait  till  preparations 
were  made  at  the  mission  house,  and  they  wanted 
to  have  a  separate  school  by  themselves.  To  this  I 
would  not  agree;  but  to  accommodate  their  wishes 
till  we  were  ready  at  the  mission  house  to  receive 
their  children,  I  consented  that  they  might  be  taught 
at  home. 

On  the  first  of  January  I  was  called  to  bury  one 
of  our  little  flock,  an  aged  woman,  the  mother  of. 
Jaco,  and  aunt  to  Mononcue.  She  lived  at  the  Big 
Spring  reservation,  fifteen  miles  from  the  mission 
house.  On  the  Sabbath  before  her  death  I  conversed 
with  her  about  her  future  hopes.  She  rejoiced,  and 
praised  God  that  he  had  ever  sent  his  ministers  to 
preach  Jesus  to  her  and  her  people.  "  I  have  been 
trying,"  said  she,  *'to  serve  God  for  years;  but  it 
was  all  in  the  dark,  till  the  ministers  brought  the  light 
to  my  mind,  and  then  I  prayed,  and  found  my  God 
precious  to  my  poor  soul.  Now  I  am  going  soon  to 
8ec  bim  in  his  house  above,  and  I  want  all  my  chil- 


INDIAN    FUNERAL. 


287 


dren,  and  grandchildren,  and  fri*^nd8,  to  meet  me  in 
that  good  world."  She  died  a  few  days  after,  in  great 
peace.  I  was  sent  for  to  go  and  bury  her.  IJrother 
Riley  and  myself  rode  there  in  the  night,  and  early 
in  the  morning  commenced  making  the  coffin.  It  was 
late  before  we  could  finish  it,  and,  consequently,  late 
before  the  funeral  was  over;  but  I  think  I  shall  never 
forget  the  scene.  It  was  between  sundown  and  dark 
when  we  left  with  the  corpse.*  The  lowering  clouds 
hung  heavily  over  us,  and  the  virgin  snow  was  falling. 
Wo  entered  a  deep  and  lonely  wood,  four  men  carry- 
ing the  bier,  and  the  rest  all  following  in  Indian  file. 
When  we  came  to  the  burying-ground,  the  Indians 
stood  wrapped  up  in  their  blankets,  leaning  against 
the  forest  trees  in  breathless  silence,  and  all  bore  the 
aspect  of  death.  Not  one  word  was  said  while  the 
grave  was  filling  up;  but  from  the  daughter,  and 
some  of  the  grandchildren,  now  and  then  a  broken 
sigh  escaped.  At  last  Mononcue  broke  out  in  the 
following  strains:  "Farewell,  my  old  and  precious 
aunt!  You  have  suffered  much  in  this  world  of  sin 
and  sorrow.  You  set  us  all  a  good  example,  and  we 
have  often  heard  you  speak  of  Jesus  in  the  sweetest 
strains,  while  the  falling  tears  have  witnessed  the  sin- 
cerity of  your  heart.  Farewell,  my  aunt.  We  shall 
no  more  hear  your  tender  voice,  that  used  to  lull  all 
our  sorrows,  and  drive  our  fears  from  us.  Farewell, 
my  aunt.  That  hand  that  fed  us  will  feed  us  no 
more.  Farewell  to  your  sorrows :  all  is  over.  There 
your  body  must  lie  till  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God 


;-. 


288 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


Bhall  call  you  up.  Wo  weep  not  with  sorrow,  but 
with  joy,  that  your  soul  is  in  heaven."  Then  he 
said,  "Who  of  you  all  will  meet  her  in  heaven?" 
This  was  a  feeling  and  happy  time,  and  we  parted, 
I  think,  fully  determined  to  die  the  death  of  the 
righteous.  We  rode  home  that  night,  fifteen  miles, 
and  felt  greatly  comforted  in  talking  of  the  good- 
ness of  God  and  the  power  of  his  grace.  "Blessed 
are  the  dead  that  die  in  the  Lord  from  henceforth." 

In  this  mission  there  had  not  as  yet  been  any 
regular  formation  of  a  Church.  All  was  in  a  kind 
of  national  society;  so  that  when  any  one  did  wrong, 
he  left  without  any  trial  or  censure ;  and  any  one 
came  in  and  enjoyed  the  ordinances  of  the  Church 
without  any  formal  admission ;  and  so  they  came  and 
went  at  pleasure.  I  plainly  saw  this  would  not  do. 
I  therefore  resolved  to  form  them  into  classes,  and 
bring,  them  under  proper  discipline.  When  I  pro- 
posed this  at  first  it  gave  great  oiTensc  to  many,  and 
there  was  much  remonstrance  against  it.  The  put- 
ting their  names  on  paper,  and  calling  them  to  an 
account  for  their  conduct,  seemed  too  much  like  mak- 
ing slaves  of  them.  But  I  labored  hard  with  the 
chiefs  and  principal  men,  to  show  them  the  propriety 
of  the  measure,  from  the  necessity  of  self-govern 
ment,  family  government,  and  national  government; 
and  with  them  I  succeeded  in  a  good  degree.  I  read 
our  General  Rules,  and  had  them  explained,  and 
showed  that  the  Bible  and  religion  required  that  we 
must  observe  them;  and  knowing  the  great  danger 


FORMING    SOCIETIES. 


283 


II 


they  were  in  of  being  drawn  away  into  sin  by  Jrink, 
I  made  one  positive  condition  on  their  joining  the 
Church,  which  was,  that  they  must  totally  abstain 
from  the  use  of  ardent  spirits;  that  I  would  not 
suffer  any  one  to  be  in  the  society  that  tasted  it  on 
any  occasion.  This  condition  I  found  many  objected 
to,  and  pleaded  that  if  a  man  did  not  get  drunk,  it 
was  no  crime.  I  told  them  this  was  their  greatest 
enemy,  and  had  almost  ruined  their  nation  already, 
and  I  thought  strange  that  any  one  should  still  plead 
for  a  little  of  this  poison. 

After  laboring  three  months  or  more,  to  prepare 
the  way,  I  proposed  first  at  the  Big  Spring,  to  strike 
the  line  between  those  that  were  sincerely  the  lovers 
of  God  and  the  good  Book,  and  those  that  were  only 
the  outer-court  worshipers;  and  requested  all  that 
were  determined  to  serve  God  and  forsake  all  sin,  to 
come  forward  and  give  me  their  names;  and  only 
twenty  came  for  ard,  out  of  the  many  at  this  place 
that  had  professed  to  turn  from  their  evil  ways. 

The  next  Sabbath  we  met  for  worship  at  the  coun- 
cil-house, at  Upper  Sandusky,  and  I  made  the  sam(^ 
proposition  there,  insisting  on  the  rule  of  total  absti- 
nence from  all  kind  of  spirits  that  would  make  a  man 
drunk.  Here  there  were  but  ten^  and  among  these 
were  four  of  the  chiefs — Betwoen-the-Logs,  Monon- 
cue,  Hicks,  and  Peacock,  making  thirty  out  of  the 
whole  nation.  But  I  was  not  at  all  discouraged.  I 
appointed  leaders  for  these  two  classes,  •'•'^, their 

number    increased    almost  every    Sabbath.      Manj', 

19 


290 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


I' 


however,  now  left  us  altogether,  and  hecamo  our 
most  violent  opposers,  and  did  all  they  could  to 
prejudice  the  nation  against  me;  but  I  held  on  to 
my  purpose,  for  I  well  knew  that  if  I  relaxed,  and 
they  could  make  me  stagger,  that  my  influence  with 
them  was,  in  a  great  measure,  at  an  end. 

This  opposition  was  urged  on  by  a  set  of  traders 
and  whjsky-sellers  that  had  settled  around  the  Indian 
reservation,  for  the  purpose  of  making  gain  off  them. 
These  would  occasionally  attend  our  meetings;  and  1 
made  this  my  opportunity  of  telling  the  Indians  how 
wicked  these  traders  were  in  selling  thciii  whisky  and 
in  making  them  drunk;  then  robbing  their  children 
and  wives  of  what  they  ought  to  have  to  clothe  and 
feed  them.  I  knew  it  would  have  a  better  effect  to 
tell  the  Indians  of  these  men  in  their  presence,  than 
when  they  were  absent,  so  that  I  never  failed,  when 
one  of  them  was  present,  to  lift  my  warning  voice 
against  them  and  their  practices.  For  this  they 
exerted  all  their  malevolence  against  me;  and  they 
spared  no  pains  to  injure  and  oppose  me.  I  was 
twice  cautioned  by  my  friends  to  be  on  my  guard, 
for  that  there  were  two  drunken,  vagabond  Indians 
employed  to  kill  me;  but  I  had  no  fear,  my  trust 
was  in  God. 

The  offense  that  was  given  to  many  by  my  form- 
ing classes,  greatly  strengthened  the  hopes  of  the 
heathen  party;  and  the  head  chief  organized  his 
band  afresh,  and  appointed  Sci-oun-tah  his  high- 
priest.     They  met  every  Sabbath  for  meeting,  and 


P 


THE    INDIAN    OOD. 


201 


thcii  priest  related  great  tilings  of  their  Indian  god; 
how  he  had  commanded  them  not  to  forsake  their 
feasts  and  dances,  and  not  to  have  their  names  put 
down  on  paper,  for  this  was  u  disgrace  to  an  Indian ; 
aiid  he  would  not  own  those  again  that  did  it,  but 
cast  them  off'  forever. 

A  few  Sabbaths  after  I  tried  to  preach  from  2  Cor. 
iv,  3,  4:  "But  if  our  Gospel  be  hid,  it  is  hid  to  them 
that  are  lost:  in  whom  the  god  of  this  world  hath 
blinded  the  minds  of  them  that  believe  nof  "  1.  I 
described  the  Gospel  as  being  a  message  from  God, 
of  good  news  and  glad  tidings  to  the  world;  jhowed 
what  the  tidings  were:  salvation  to  all  that  will  obey. 
2.  I  described  the  god  of  this  world,  the  devil ;  and 
s.iowed  how  he  blinded  the  minds  of  men,  and  so 
concealed  the  light  and  truth  of  God's  word  from 
their  minds. 

When  I  concluded,  Betwecn-the-Logs  arose  and 
said,  "I  have  just  found  out  who  this  Indian  god 
is.  He  is  the  devil,  for  he  blinds  the  mind  and 
hardens  the  heart,  and  makes  me  get  drunk,  and 
commit  murder,  and  every  evil.  I  prove  this  from 
the  fact  that  the  heathen  party  say  that  they  serve 
their  Indian  god,  and  worship  him,  and  do  what  he 
tells  them.  Now  they  all  get  drunk,  and  sometimes 
murder  one  another,  and  this  in  obedience  to  their 
Indian  god!  This  is  the  conduct  and  practice  of  all 
wicked  men — white,  red,  and  black.  They  all  serve 
the  Indian  god,  and  that  god  is  the  devil.  Now,  my 
friends,  our  God  forbids  all  this  evil,  and  we  see  and 


II 


292 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


feel  its  benefits  here  on  earth,  and  shall  feel  them  in 
heaven.  That  party  has  told  you,  if  you  set  your 
name  on  paper,  that  this  Indian  god  will  cast  you  ofl' 
forever.  I  could  wish  this  was  true;  and  although 
this  is  a  public  renouncing  of  him  and  his  worship, 
yet  we  see  he  follows  us  still;  and  some,  in  a  short 
time,  have  been  persuaded  to  go  back  to  him ;  but  I 
feel  determined,  if  all  go,  yet  will  not  I.  Since  the 
light  of  God's  word  has  driven  darkness  from  my 
Boul,  I  have  joy  and  peace  that  I  never  felt  before. 
A  few  weeks  since,  at  a  prayer  meeting  in  this  place. 
I  received  this  full  light.  I  had  some  before,  but  it 
was  not  clear  till  then.  Now  it  is  like  the  sun  at 
noonday.  Come,  who  will  go?  Who  will  take  hold 
of  God's  word  of  peace?  Let  him  get  up,  that  we 
may  see  who  you  are,  and  how  many."  At  this 
nearly  all  arose;  and  there  was  a  powerful  shaking. 
Brother  Armstrong  exhorted,  and  several  joined  the 
Church. 

For  some  time  our  society  did  not  increase  fast  in 
numbers,  but  grew  in  grace  and  firmness  in  religion. 
The  classes  were  well  and  constantly  attended,  and 
much  of  the  grace  of  God  was  enjoyed. 

This  winter  one  of  the  principal  women,  who  was 
much  opposed  to  the  Gospel,  was  converted  to  God 
and  Christianity.  "  One  night,  after  being  at  meet- 
ing," she  said,  '*I  lay  down  to  sleep,  and  dreamed 
that  I  saw,  at  the  council-house,  a  high  pole  set  in 
the  ground,  and  on  the  top  of  that  pole  there  was 
a  white  child  fastened,  and  it  gave  light  to  all  around, 


THE    INDIANS    DREAM. 


203 


ill  a  c'rcle.  At  the  foot  of  the  pole  stood  the  mis- 
sionary, calling  the  Indians  to  come  into  the  light, 
for  they  were  all  in  the  dark.  No  one  went.  At 
last  I  thought,  if  it  was  a  good  thing  it  would  not 
hurt  me,  and  I.  would  venture.  So  I  went ;  and  from 
the  foot  of  this  pole  there  were  two  roads  started: 
the  one  was  a  broad  road,  and  it  led  down  hill;  the 
other  was  a  narrow  one,  and  led  up  hill.  These  roads, 
he  said,  were  the  only  two  roads  that  lead  out  of 
this  world.  The  broad  one  leads  down  to  hell,  and 
the  other  leads  up  to  heaven.  I  looked  in  the  dust, 
and  saw  that  all  the  large  moccasin  tracks  were  on 
the  broad  road,  a^d  the  small  ones  were  on  the  nar- 
row road.  So  I  determined  at  once  to  take  the  nar- 
row road.  I  had  not  traveled  far  till  I  found  the 
way  steep,  and  my  feet  often  slipped,  and  I  fell  to 
my  knees;  but  I  held  by  the  bushes,  and  got  up 
again.  So  I  traveled  on  for  some  time;  but  the 
higher  I  got,  the  easier  I  traveled,  till  I  got  almost 
to  the  top  of  the  hill.  There  I  saw  a  great  white 
house,  and  a  white  fence  around  it.  There  was  a 
large  gate  that  led  to  this  house.  At  this  ga^e  stood 
a  man,  and  his  hair  was  as  white  as  snow.  He  held 
in  his  right  hand  a  long  sword,  and  the  point  of  it 
blazed  like  a  cardie.  I  was  greatly  afraid.  I  heard 
in  that  house  the  most  delightful  singing  I  ever  heard 
before,  and  had  a  great  desire  to  go  in.  When  I 
came  up  to  the  gate,  the  man  spoke  to  me  and  said, 
'You  can  not  come  in  now.  You  must  go  back  and 
tell   all  TOur  nation,  that  if  they  want  to  get  to 


^  ! 


I  I 


i 


294 


LIFE     AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


heaven  they  must  take  this  narrow  road,  for  there  is 
no  other  that  leads  here.'  Then  I  started  back  with 
a  heavy  heart;  and  when  I  got  down  near  the  coun- 
cil-house, I  saw  my  people  all  in  the  way  to  ruin, 
and  began  to  call  on  them  to  stop.  Here  I  awoke." 
The  next  Sabbath  this  woman  got  up  in  the  meet- 
ing, at  the  council-house,  and  told  all  she  had  seen 
in  her  dream;  while  she  wept  bitterly,  and  exhorted 
all  the  nation  to  turn  to  God  and  live.  This  had 
a  good  effect  on  many.  . 

In  February  nearly  all  of  the  Indians  went  to  the 
woods  to  trap,  and  make  sugar.     They  seldom  return 
from  these  expeditions  till  the  first  of  April.     I  sent 
with  them  an  appointment  to  meet  them  at  Between- 
the-Logs's  camp,  on  their  hunting-ground,  and  hold 
a  two  days'  meeting.     About  the  first  of  March  I  left 
Upper  Sandusky  in  company  with  brother  Armstrong, 
as  interpreter,  and  brother  Mononcue,  to  attend  this 
meeting.     The  morning  was  cold,  and  our  course  lay 
through   a  deep  forest.     We  rode   hard,  hoping  to 
make  the  camps  before  night;  but  such  were  the  ob- 
structions we  met  with,  from  ice  and  swamps,  that 
it  was  late  when  we  arrived.     Weary  with  a  travel 
of  twenty-five  miles  or  more  through  the  woods,  Avith- 
out  a  path  or  a  blazed  tree  to  guide  us — and,  withal, 
the  day  was  cloudy — we  were  glad  to  find  a  camp  to 
rest  in.     We  were  joyfully  received  by  our  friends, 
and  the  women  and  children  came  running  to  wel- 
come us  to  their  society  and  fires.     The  men  had 
not  all  returned  from  hunting;  though  it  was  late. 


WINTER    HUNTING-CAMPS. 


295 


But  it  was  not  long  after  we  were  seated  by  the  fire, 
till  I  heard  the  well-known  voice  of  Between-the-Logs. 
I  went  out  of  the  camp,  and  helped  down  with  two 
fine  deer.  Soon  we  had  placed  before  us  a  kettle 
filled  with  fat  raccoons,  boiled  whole,  after  the  Indian 
style,  and  a  pan  of  good  sugar  molasses.  These  we 
asked  our  heavenly  Father  to  bless,  and  then  each 
carved  for  himself,  with  a  large  butcher-knife.  I  took 
the  hind-quarter  of  a  raccoon,  and  holding  it  by  the 
foot,  dipped  the  other  end  in  the  molasses,  and  eat 
it  oflf  with  my  teeth.  Thus  I  continued  dipping  and 
eating  till  I  had  pretty  well  iinished  the  fourth  part 
of  a  large  coon.  By  this  time  my  appetite  began 
to  fail  me,  and  I  was  for  leaving  off,  but  my  comrades 
said,  "This  is  a  fine  fare,  do  not  quit  yet."  So  I 
took  a  little  more ;  and  thought  it  was  a  good  meul, 
without  bread,  hominy,  or  salt.         '  ^ 

Their  winter  hunting-camps  are  much  more  com- 
fortable, and  the  scenery  more  pleasant,  than  those 
who  have  never  seen  them  would  imagine.  They  are 
built  of  poles,  closely  laid  together,  by  cutting  a  notch 
in  the  upper  part  of  the  pole,  and  so  laying  the  next 
one  into  it,  and  then  stopping  all  the  cracks  with 
moss  from  the  old  logs.  They  are  covered  with  bark, 
a  hole  being  left  in  the  middle  of  the  roof  for  the 
smoke  to  go  out  at  The  fire  is  in  the  center,  and 
the  beds  are  round  three  sides.  These  are  raised 
from  the  earth  by  laying  short  chunks  of  wood  on 
the  ground,  and  covering  them  with  bark  laid  length- 
wise.   On  the  bark  is  spread  skins  of  some  kiud. 


II 


296 


LIFE    AMONG    TUB    INDIANS. 


and  these  are  covered  with  blankets.  The  beds  are 
three  feet  wide,  and  serve  also  for  seats.  Tbeso 
camps  are  always  pitched  in  rich  bottoms,  where  the 
pasture  is  fine  for  horses,  and  water  convenient. 
Around  them  you  will  often  find  a  flock  of  domestic 
fowls,  which  are  taken  on  horses  from  the  towns  for 
tlie  purpose  of  getting  their  eggs ;  and  to  secure  them 
from  the  dogs,  which  generally  swarm  around  an  In- 
dian camp,  the  Indian  women  make  baskets  of  bark, 
and  drive  down  stakes  into  the  ground,  on  which 
they  hang  their  baskets.  Perhaps  there  will  be  half 
a  dozen  on  one  stakv^,  one  above  another;  and  from 
them  they  gather  large  quantities  of  eggs. 

The  troughs  in  which  they  catch  their  sugar-water, 
are  made  of  bark,  and  hold  about  two  gallons.  They 
have  R  large  trough,  made  like  a  bark  canoe,  into 
which  they  gather  from  the  small  ones.  The  women 
make  the  sugar,  and  stretch  all  the  skins.  The  men 
trap  and  hunt. 

One  man  will  have,  perhaps,  three  hundred  raccoon 
traps,  scattered  over  a  country  ten  miles  in  extent. 
These  traps  are  "dead  falls,"  made  of  saplings,  and 
set  over  a  log  which  lies  across  some  branch  or  creek, 
or  that  is  by  the  edge  of  some  pond  or  marshy  place. 
In  the  months  of  February  and  March  the  raccoons 
travel  much,  and  frequent  tho  ponds  for  the  pur- 
pose of  catching  frogs.  When  the  raccoon  has  taken 
a  frog,  he  does  not  eat  it  immediately,  but  will  carry 
it  to  some  clean  water  and  wash  it ;  then  lay  it  down 
on  the  leaves,  and  roll  it  hither  and  thither  with  his 


BEARS    IN    WINTER. 


207 


forc-feet,  till  it  is  entirely  dead,  and  then  lie  feasta 
on  his  prey. 

The  hunter  generally  gets  round  all  his  trups  twice 
a  week,  and  hunts  from  one  to  the  other.  I  have 
known  a  huiter  to  take  from  his  traps  thirty  rac- 
coons in  two  days,  and  sometimes  they  take  more 
From  three  to  six  hundred  is  counted  a  good  hunt 
for  one  spring,  besides  the  deer,  turkeys,  and  bears. 

The  bears,  at  this  time  of  the  year,  are  generally 
taken  from  the  hollow  trees  or  rocks,  where  they 
have  lain  for  a  month  or  two.  During  the  winter 
these  animals  sleep,  with  little  intermission,  for  three 
months,  and  receive  no  nourishment,  except  what 
they  suck  out  of  their  paws.  I  have  taken  them  out 
of  their  holes,  when  there  has  been  from  one  to  two 
gallons  of  clear  oil  in  the  intestines,  and  nothing 
else  that  could  be  perceived  by  the  naked  eye.  In 
hunting  bears  at  this  season,  the  Indians  search  for 
them  in  the  hollow  trees  and  rocks.  When  they  find 
a  tree  that  looks  likely  to  lodge  a  bear,  they  examine 
the  bark  to  see  if  one  has  gone  up.  If  there  are 
fresh  signs,  and  the  scratches  are  not  long,  but  just 
sunk  in,  this  is  a  good  sign.  But  if  there  are  long 
marks  made  with  the  hind  feet,  it  is  supposed  that 
he  hub  been  up  and  come  down  again.  And  if  the 
thing  is  doubtful,  they  cut  a  brush,  and  with  it  scrape 
the  tree  on  the  side  opposite  the  hole,  and  cry  like 
a  young  bear;  and  if  there  be  one  inside,  he  will 
cither  come  and  look  out,  or  make  a  noise  so  as  to 
bo  h^ard.     If  it  is  ascertained  that  there  is  one  inside, 


208 


LIFE    AMONO    THE    INDIANS. 


then,  in  order  to  get  him  out,  one  climbs  up  a  tree 
that  is  convenient;  or,  if  there  is  not  such  a  one, 
they  cut  one  so  as  to  lodge  it  near  the  hole.  Then 
he  fastens  a  bunch  of  rotten  wood  to  the  end  of  a 
pole,  sets  it  on  fire,  and  slips  it  off  the  end  of  his 
pole  into  the  hollow  of  the  tree,  where  it  soon  sets 
fire  to  the  rotten  wood.  At  first,  the  bear  begins  to 
snuff  and  growl,  and  strike  with  his  fore-feet,  as  if 
he  would  put  it  out.  But  the  fire,  steady  in  its  prog- 
ress, soon  routs  him,  and  he  comes  out  in  great  wrath. 
By  this  time  the  Indian  is  down,  and  has  taken  the 
most  advantageous  position  with  his  rifle,  and  when 
the  bear  is  fairly  out,  he  fires  at  him.  If  he  does  not 
succeed  at  the  first  shot,  his  comrade  fires,  while  he 
reloads ;  and  so  they  keep  up  the  fire  till  Bruin  yields 
up  his  life.  ;    ' 

These  animals  seldom  have  more  than  two  young 
ones  at  a  time.  The  cubs  are  small  at  first,  without 
hair,  blind,  and  exceedingly  ugly.  The  dam  is  very 
careful  of  them,  and  will  fight  desperately  to  protect 
them,  and  is  very  dangerous  when  the  cubs  are  either 
taken  or  wounded.  Young  bears  are  easily  tamed, 
but  they  are  very  troublesome,  and  of  no  profit. 
Their  flesh  is  most  delicious,  and  is  found  to  be  very 
healthy,  and  easy  of  digestion.  The  oil  of  a  bear, 
fattened  on  beech-nuts,  is  the  most  diffusive  and  pen- 
etrating of  all  oils.  The  Indians  eat  it  till  their  skins 
become  as  greasy  as  if  it  had  been  rubbed  on  ex- 
ternally. It  is  preserved  for  summer  use,  by  frying 
it  out,  and  putting  it  into  a  cured  deer-skin,  with  the 


JAMES    WASHINGTON. 


:299 


ring 
the 


hair  grained  off  when  the  skin  is  green.  Dccr-mcat 
is  sliced  thin,  and  dried  over  the  fire,  till  it  can  be 
easily  pounded  in  a  mortar.  This,  mixed  with  sugar, 
and  dipped  in  bear's  oil,  is  the  greatest  luxury  of  an 
Indian  table.  This,  with  corn  parched  in  a  kettle 
and  pounded  to  meal,  then  sifted  through  a  bark 
sieve,  and  mixed  with  sugar,  makes  the  traveling 
provision  of  an  Indian  in  time  of  war. 

But  to  return  to  my  meeting.  We  arrived  at  the 
hunting-camps  on  Friday  morning.  This  night  was 
mostly  spent  in  laboring  Avith  an  Indian  man,  who 
was  of  the  heathen  party,  and  a  brother  to  An-daw- 
yaw-wa,  the  chief  of  the  Beaver  tribe,  and  called  by 
the  whites,  James  Washington.  Brother  Armstrong 
commenced,  and  was  soon  aided  by  Between-the- 
Logs,  and  the  chief,  his  brother.  Some  matters  were 
occasionally  referred  to  me,  which  I  decided  and  ex- 
plained. At  length  I  lay  down  and  fell  asleep.  I 
awoke  two  or  three  times  during  the  night,  and  found 
them  still  at  the  controversy;  and  he  yielded  so  far 
as  to  make  trial  of  prayer  during  the  meeting. 

Next  morning  you  would  have  been  pleased  to  hear 
the  voice  of  singing  from  mc>ny  tents,  and  then  the 
fervent  prayer  of  all  for  the  presence  and  power  of 
God.  Many  came  in  this  morning,  and  pitched  their 
tentfi.  At  11  o'clock  we  commenced  our  worship,  at 
a  fire  kindled  for  that  purpose,  in  the  open  air.  1 
tried  to  preach,  and  Mononcue  exhorted;  and  the 
Lord  was  with  us  of  a  truth. 

In  the  evening  we  had  a  congregation  of  about  one 


300 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


hundred  and  fifty.  I  took  for  my  subject  the  narrow 
and  broad  ways — the  one  that  leads  to  life,  and  the 
other  to  death.  I  showed  that  there  were  but  two 
places  in  the  other  world,  to  hold  all  people — the  one 
a  place  of  punishment  for  the  wicked,  and  the  other 
a  place  of  happiness  for  all  the  good;  the  one  was 
hell,  and  the  other  heaven ;  and  that  the  broad  way 
led  to  hell,  and  the  narrow  way  to  heaven ;  that  the 
broad  way  was  just  as  wide  as  sin,  and  that  all  sinners 
were  walking  in  it;  that  a  man  might  commit  any 
kind  of  sin,  and  still  be  in  it ;  that  it  led  down  hill, 
and  men  went  fast,  and  with  some  ease,  because  b 
was  agreeable  to  a  wicked  heart.  But  the  road  to 
heaven  was  narrow;  for  it  was  restricted  from  sin, 
and  those  that  walk  in  it  must  forsake  all  sin,  and 
keep  God's  holy  commandments ;  and  this  would  be  a 
great  cross  to  the  flesh,  but  that  they  would  at  last 
reap  the  benefit  of  having  served  God.  This  dis- 
course was  much  blessed,  I  have  no  doubt;  and  our 
Indian  exhorters  made  a  firm  and  successful  applica- 
tion of  it.  We  then  called  up  the  mourners,  and  had 
a  glorious  time.  Some  that  never  before  had  prayed, 
now  came  forward,  and  some  professed  to  be  con- 
verted. 

On  Sabbath  morning,  as  soon  as  breakfast  was 
over,  we  held  our  love-feast.  This  was  a  morning 
never  to  be  forgotten.  Only  a  few  had  spol.en,  till  it 
seemed  as  if  every  cup  was  full  and  running  over. 
Some  wept ;  some  exhorted  their  wicked  friends  to  flee 
the  wrath  to  come ;  while  others  shouted,  **  0-ra-mah ! 


THE    aOSPEL    LEAVEN. 


801 


0-ra-mah!  Ilo-mcn-de-zuo!"  Glory!  glory!  bo  to  the 
Great  Spirit !  Some  professed  to  be  reclaimed,  and 
some  converted  to  God. 

At  11  o'clock  I  preached  again,  oil  the  kingdom 
of  Christ,  and  the  power  of  his  Gospel  in  ages  past; 
of  the  persecutions  and  triumphant  death  of  the 
righteous,  and  of  the  glory  that  would  yet  come. 
This  was,  most  of  it,  new  to  them,  and  deeply  inter- 
esting. Their  souls  were  strengthened  with  mighii 
in  the  inner  man.  Our  night  meeting  I  gave  up  to 
brother  Armstrong,  and  the  Indian  exhorters,  and 
they  managed  it  in  their  own  way.  I  believe  it 
lasted  all  night.  In  the  morning  I  took  several  into 
society;  and  at  11  o'clock  they  almost  all  went  off  to 
their  several  hunting-camps. 

This  meeting  was  a  great  blessing.  I  made  strict 
inquiry  how  they  attended  to  their  duties  in  the 
woods,  such  as  family  and  private  prayer,  and  es- 
pecially how  they  spent  the  Sabbath?  Whether  on 
that  day  they  looked  after  their  traps,  or  made 
sugar,  or  gathered  the  water?  But  I  found  that 
all  their  duties  were  most  sacredly  attended  to;  and 
on  the  Sabbath,  as  many  as  could,  came  together, 
and  sung,  and  prayed,  and  held  class  meeting.  I 
remained  a  day  longer,  and  then  returned  to  my 
Btation. 

On  our  way  to  the  mission  we  held  a  meeting  in  a 
new  settlement  of  whites,  on  Tyar  ochte  creek,  in  the 
house  of  Mr.  Carpenter.  Here  we  had  a  good  meet- 
ing.    These  people  seemed  anxious  to  hear  the  word 


mMPBIil 


802 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


liii 


of  life.  After  I  had  tried  to  preach,  brother  Monon 
cue  gave  an  appropriate  exhortation,  which  was  inter- 
preted by  brother  Armstrong.  Mononcuc  spoke  of 
the  former  wars  and  bloodshed  that  had  taken  place 
between  them.  "But  now,"  said  he,  "the  scene  is 
changed.  The  scalping-knife  and  tomahawk  are  now 
buried,  not  only  in  practice,  but  God  has  taken  away 
the  disposition  out  of  my  heart,  and  I  hope  out  of 
yours  also.  Now  you  are  my  neighbors;  I  want  to 
live  in  love  and  peace,  and  to  be  helpers  to  one  an- 
other for  both  worlds,  that  we  may  live  in  our  heav- 
enly Father's  house  forever.  But  one  thing  must 
be  done,  if  this  is  the  case.  You,  my  friends,  must 
leave  off  bringing  your  water  of  death,  [meaning 
whisky,]  and  selling  to  my  people,  or  we  never  can 
live  in  peace,  for  wherever  this  comes,  it  brings  fire 
and  death  with  it;  and  if  you  will  still  give  or  sell 
it  to  Indians,  it  will  take  away  all  their  senses;  and 
then,  like  a  mad  bear,  they  may  turn  round  and  kill 
you,  or  some  of  your  squaws  and  children ;  or  if  you 
should  escape,  they  will  go  home,  and  be  very  apt  to 
kill  a  wife,  a  mother,  or  a  child;  for  whenever  this 
mad  water  gets  into  a  man,  it  makes  murder  boil  in 
his  heart,  and  he,  like  the  wolf,  wants  blood  all  the 
time ;  and  I  believe  it  makes  you  white  people  as  bad 
as  it  makes  us  Indians,  and  you  would  murder  one 
another  as  we  do,  only  that  you  have  laws  that  put 
those  people  in  jail,  and  sometimes  hang  them  by 
the  neck,  like  a  dog,  till  they  are  dead;  and  this 
makes  white  people  afraid.     We  have  no  such  la'^s 


BPEECH    CONCLUDED. 


803 


yet ;  bat  I  hope  thnt  by  and  by  we  shall  have.  But 
I  think  they  ought  first  to  hang  all  people  that  make 
and  send  this  poison  abroad,  for  they  do  all  the  mis- 
chief. What  good  can  it  do  to  men  to  make  and 
send  out  poison  to  kill  their  friends?  Why,  this  is 
worse  than  our  Indians,  killing  one  another  with  knife 
and  tomahawk.  If  the  white  people  would  hang 
them  all  up  that  make  it  and  sell  it,  they  would  soon 
leave  it  off",  and  then  the  world  would  have  peace. 

*•  Now,  my  white  friends,  if  you  love  us  or  your- 
selves— if  you  love  peace,  I  beg  that  you  will  not 
sell  these  fire-waters  to  our  poor  people.  They  are 
but  children,  many  of  them;  and  you  know  that  a 
child  will  just  as  soon  take  poison  as  food.  God  is 
doing  a  great  work  for  us  at  our  town.  Many  of  our 
Indians  are  embracing  religion,  and  striving  to  serve 
the  Great  Spirit.  Many  of  those  that  used  to  get 
drunk,  fight,  quarrel,  and  murder,  are  now  praying 
people;  and  now,  instead  of  the  drunkard's  song, 
and  yell,  you  can  hear,  in  almost  every  cabin,  the 
sound  of  prayer  going  up  to  heaven.  It  makes  my 
heart  glad.  I  hope  many  of  you  are  praying  people, 
and  striving  to  serve  the  same  God,  and  going  to  the 
same  heaven.  Go  on,  go  on — aeraa-qua,  seras-qua," 
said  the  noble  chief,  "  I  '11  meet  you  there."  Then 
holding  out  his  hand  to  all  that  would  meet  him,  some 
came  and  took  hold,  weeping ;  sinners  trembled,  and 
God  was  in  the  word.  This  place  was  afterward 
taken  into  Delawj,re  circuit,  and  made  a  preaching- 
place,  and  many  souls  were  converted  to  God. 


I    I    I   ■l^p^'V^V^ 


304 


LIFE    AMONG    TUE    INDIANS. 


III! 


Illl 


liliil 


At  (liflerent  times  in  March  and  April,  ull  our 
Indians  got  home  from  tlieir  liunting-grounds.  1 
now  commenced  laboring  to  bring  all  that  would 
join  with  the  classes  under  proper  government.  I 
had  formed  one  at  the  Big  Spring  reservation,  and 
another  at  the  mission  house.  This  was  the  most 
difficult  thing  I  had  yet  undertaken.  I  used  to  spend 
whole  days  in  reading  and  expounding  the  Discipline 
to  the  leaders  and  the  stewards. 

The  official  members  were  four  exhorters,  four 
leaders,  two  to  each  class,  and  three  stewards.  When 
they  would  get  to  understand  a  part  of  the  Disci- 
pline, they  would  communicate  this  part  to  their 
classes.  I  was  asked  by  one  of  them,  one  day,  why 
we  white  people  had  so  many  laws — a  law  for  every 
thing?  Why  can  not  we  go  along  and  do  good  with- 
out laws?  I  told  him  that  without  law  there  was  no 
good  or  bad;  that  without  law  we  could  not  know 
when  we  were  doing  good  or  evil,  but  were  left  all 
the  time  in  the  dark.  How,  said  I,  would  we  do 
without  the  sun  or  the  light  of  it?  How  could  we 
see  in  the  dark  ?  "  It  would  be  very  bad,"  said  he. 
"  The  sun  points  out  all  things  around  us,  and  helps 
us  against  our  enemies  and  dangers."  The  law,  then, 
is  like  the  sun;  it  tells  us  what  is  right  and  what  is 
wrong;  it  shows  us  what  we  must  do  to  be  happy,  or 
if  we  do  it  not  we  must  be  miserable ;  it  makes  the 
road  to  heaven  very  plain.  Although  it  is  a  narrow 
way,  yet  it  is  made  plain  by  the  law;  and  all  that 
will  may  walk  in  it,  and  not  stu  nble  or  fall.     How 


PPPHHP 


NECESSITY    OP    LAW. 


805 


would  you  know  it  wns  wrong  to  get  drunk  and  mur- 
der if  the  law  did  not  tell  you  so?  How  would  you 
know  it  was  right  to  pray,  and  if  you  did  pray,  thnt 
God  would  hear  you  and  bless  you,  if  the  law  did  not 
toll  you  80?  But  suppose  one  steps  out  of  the  ron  I 
to  heaven,  and  gets  drunk,  what  must  wo  do?  Why, 
this  Discipline  tells  us  what  to  do  with  him,  and  all 
others  that  sin  against  God.  Wo  must  first  try  to 
get  them  to  repent  and  forsake  sin  altogether,  and  if 
they  will  not,  we  must  then  turn  them  out,  and  let 
them  go  with  their  old  companions. 

I  tried  to  show  them  the  reasons  of  law,  and  that 
it  was  right,  and  the  duty  of  a  father  to  prevent  his 
children  from  running  into  danger,  and  to  prevent 
them  from  doing  evil  to  others.  And  if  they  would 
not  take  his  counsel,  it  was  his  duty,  for  their  good, 
to  correct  them,  and  make  them  obey;  and  if  they 
were  disposed  to  do  injury  to  others,  it  was  his  duty 
to  restrain  them  and  protect  the  innocent  and  weak 
from  being  injured  by  them ;  and  that  to  feed  a  child, 
and  to  correct  it  properly,  came  alike  from  the  same 
spirit  of  love :  it  was  intended  for  good.  Just  so 
God  governed  us  out  of  love.  lie  forbade  us  to  sin, 
but  would  punish  us  for  it  if  we  committed  it;  and 
if  we  would  not  forsake  it,  he  would  banish  us  to  hell 
forever. 

When  our  official  men  became  acquainted  with  their 

duty,  they  were  very  punctual,  and  strict  in  watching 

over  one  another.     I  recollect  well,  that,  at  the  last 

quarterly  meeting  we  held  this  year,  in  the  examina- 

20 


'^:>fi'  'r.V  i' 


806 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


•ill 


I'  !1 


1^ 


tion  of  characters,  I  called  the  name  of  one  of  the 
chiefs,  who  was  a  leader,  and  asked  if  there  was  any 
thing  against  him.  One  rose,  and  said,  "  I  heard  that 
he  cut  wood  on  Sabhath  evening."  He  answered, 
"Yes,  I  did,  on  one  occasion;  but  it  was  last  winter, 
and  it  was  exceedingly  cold,  and  I  thought  I  must 
freeze  or  cut  wood,  and  I  chose  the  latter;  but  I  do 
not  think  there  was  much  harm  in  that."  I  then 
asked  him  where  he  was  the  day  before  the  Sabbath. 
He  spid  he  was  abroad.  I  asked  him  if  his  business 
was  not  such  that  he  could  have  been  at  home  if  he 
had  tried.  "  0  yes,"  said  he,  "  it  was  not  very  press- 
ing.^'  I  then  said,  I  think  your  neglect  on  Saturday 
made  you  break  the  Sabbath.  You  ought  to  recollect 
the  Sabbath  is  the  Lord's  day  entirely,  and  he  has 
commanded  us  not  to  do  our  own  work.  He  then 
said,  "  I  will  remember  this,  and  do  so  no  more." 

The  next  was  accused  with  having  sold  a  pound  of 
sugar  on  the  Sabbath.  He  confessed  the  charge  to 
be  true;  but  said  that  he  had  forgotten  entirely  that 
it  was  the  Sabbath,  and  he  would  do  so  no  more. 

Another  was  accused  of  neglecting  his  class  as  a 
leader;  that  he  spent  too  much  of  his  time  in  the 
woods  hunting,  and  neglected  his  work ;  that  ho  was 
too  worldly  to  lead  people  in  the  way  to  God;  that 
a  leader  ought  always  to  keep  his  eyes  fixed  on  God 
and  the  road  to  heaven,  and  walk  in  it,  for  if  he 
stepped  out  of  the  way,  his  flock  would  all  follow 
him — then  he  must  look  to  his  feet. 

Another  was   accused  of  being   too  dirty  in  hi& 


PLAIN    TALK. 


807 


dotliing.  "Look  at  his  shirt,"  said  his  accuser,  "it 
looks  as  if  it  had  never  been  washed.  Now,  if  I 
know  any  thing  about  religion  it  is  a  cleafi  thing.  It 
certainly  has  made  our  women  more  particular,  and 
nice  in  their  persons.  They  now  work,  and  clean 
themselves  and  their  houses,  and  all  looks  as  if  re- 
ligion had  been  at  that  house.  And  if  religion 
cleanses  the  inside,  will  it  not  the  outside?  That 
brother  is  too  dirty  to  be  a  leader  of  a  clean  religion. 
Look  at  his  head — it  has  not  been  combed,  nor  his 
face  washed.  I  give  it  as  my  opinion,  if  that  brother 
does  not  mend  in  this  he  must  be  no  longer  a  leader. 
We  must  set  some  better  example  before  our  people." 
The  aocused  rose  and  said  that  he  had  no  wife,  and 
that  he  was  a  poor  hand  to  wash,  and  could  not  get 
it  done;  but  hoped  to  do  some  better.  His  accuser 
said,  '•  Your  want  of  a  wife  is  no  excuse.  We  have 
women  enough  in  our  nation  that  have  no  husbands, 
and  feel  themselves  lost  for  want  of  a  head.  They 
would  marry  if  asked,  and  will  make  wives  good 
enough  for  any  of  us;  but  some  of  our  men  are 
afraid  to  get  Avives  now;  they  can  not  throw  them 
away  when  they  please,  but  must  now  stick  to  them. 
Our  women  do  not  now  cultivato  our  corn,  cut  our 
wood,  and  do  all  our  work  as  they  used  to  do.  This 
falls  on  ourselves;  and  I  am  afraid  there  are  some 
who  are  too  lazy  to  provide  for  their  wives,  and  would 
raihci  live  dirty,  and  lounge  about  other  people's 
houses,  than  to  work  a  little."  This  was  a  word  in 
ecason,  and  had  the  desired  effect;  for  io  a  week  Jr 


308 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


two  I  was  called  on  to  marry  my  old  brother;  and 
afterward  he  appeared  like  a  man  that  had  a  wife. 

Throua;h  the  spring  our  religious  prospects  im- 
proved; the  nation  became  much  more  attentive  to 
hear  the  word;  our  leaders  and  exhorters  grew  in 
grace,  and  became  better  acquainted  with  the  plan 
of  salvation.  . , 

The  heathen  party  made  every  exertion,  however, 
to  keep  up  their  old  Indian  religion,  and  were  much 
encouraged  to  do  so  by  the  counsel  of  the  wicked 
traders  and  venders  of  spiritous  liquors.  Many 
things  were  circulate<l  among  them  unfavorable  to 
religion,  the  Bible,  and  to  ministers.  The  heathen 
party  were  encouraged  to  drink,  and  all  ad\»antages 
were  taken  of  their  intoxication  to  cheat  them  out 
of  their  property.  Great  exertions  were  made  by 
them  to  put  down  those  chiefs,  and  their  influence, 
that  had  embraced  religion;  but  this  was  not  ^  isily 
done.  At  len^^h  they  made  use  of  stratagem  for 
that  purpose,  an^'  no  doubt  they  were  induced  so  to 
do  by  designing  white  men.  It  was  stated  to  our 
chiefs  that,  as  they  had  now  become  religious  and 
preachers,  it  was  Avrong  for  them  to  hold  civil  offices: 
and  that,  as  they  hud  now  tngr.ged  in  a  new  business, 
of  a  holy  nature,  they  ought  to  give  Ihem  up. 

Some  time  in  June  we  went,  and  many  of  the  In- 
dians with  us,  to  a  <:ji.mp  meeting  on  Delaware  circuit, 
held  by  the  Rev.  G.  11.  Jones  and  others.  On  the 
second  day  of  this  meeting,  the  Indian  chiefs,  Be- 
twcen-the-Logs,  Mononcuc,  and  Hicks,  took  me  imp 


&hf{' 


JUDICIOUS    INSTRUCTION. 


309 


the  woods,  and,  by  the  interpreter,  asked  my  advice 
on  the  subject;  whether  it  was  incompatible  with  a 
religious  life,  and  the  life  of  an  exhorter,  to  hold  a 
civil  office.  I  told  them  it  was  tho  good  men  who 
ought  to  hold  office,  for  it  was  the  man  that  feared 
God,  only,  that  was  likely  to  be  governed  by  proper 
motives  in  this  great  work;  that  the  greatest  chief 
we  ever  had  in  America — Washington^ — \:as  a  good 
man;  and  that  the  first  governor  of  our  state — Dr. 
Tiffin — was  a  Methodist  preacher;  and  the  world  had 
always  done  best  under  good  kings  and  governors. 
They  then  asked  me  if  it  was  right  for  them  to  be 
chiefs  and  exhortcrs  too.  I  told  them  it  was;  and 
asked,  "What  will  now  become  of  this  nation,  and 
your  school  and  mission,  if  you  give  up  your  au- 
thority into  the  hands  of  the  savage  party?  Will 
not  drunkenness  abound,  and  your  nation  go  into 
ruin?  You  have  hard  work,  with  all  your  authority 
and  wisdom,  to  get  along  now;  and  what  will  it  be 
if  you  give  it  up?  Wicked  white  men  will  manage 
and  govern  your  wicked  Indians,  for  they  will  go 
together,  and  you  will  soon  be  driven  from  your 
homes."  They  said  they  plainly  saw  it;  but  were 
told  that,  as  religious  men,  they  must  lay  down  the 
one  when  they  took  up  the  other.  I  told  them  it  was 
a  trick  of  some  wicked  men  to  get  the  power  out 
of  their  hands;  that  they  must  do  as  they  pleased, 
but  that  they  should  by  no  means  think  of  giving 
ap  their  place  as  chiefs  in  the  nation.  After  coun- 
iclin|:  with  one  another,  they  sent  me  word  that  they 


"^JP^W 


^^^mmm^ 


I 


i 


111 


Ulm 


!  i 


310 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


would  hold  on,  and  relinquish  none  of  their  rights 
and  prerogatives. 

This  camp  meeting  was  a  good  one.  Some  of  the 
sava:^e  party  were  convinced  and  converted,  and  nine 
of  them  joined  society.  The  Sabbath  following  was 
quarterly  meeting  at  ihe  mission.  The  Sun  of  right- 
eousness rose  upon  us,  with  healing  in  his  wings 
We  met  on  Saturday,  about  noOi\  Some  had  col- 
lected, and  encamped  on  the  ground.  We  commenced 
by  preaching,  and  afterward  a  prayer  meeting  was 
held.  By  the  time  of  the  evening  meeting,  our  com- 
pany had  increased  to  several  hundreds.  This  was 
a  solemn  and  impressive  scene.  The  tents  were 
stretched  around  to  the  number  of  sixty  or  seventy. 
The  dim  light  of  the  Indian  fires;  and  tinkling  of 
the  numerous  horse-bells — for  almost  every  Indian 
has  a  horse,  and  every  horse  a  bell — the  horses  feed- 
ing on  the  blue  grass  plain ;  the  candles  fixed  on 
sticks  stuck  in  the  ground;  the  light  reflecting  from 
the  green  boughs  that  hung  over  us;  the  soft  and 
mellow  voices  of  three  or  four  hundred  Indians,  rising 
and  seemingly  filling  the  blue  vault  with  heavenly 
echoes;  and  the  grove  made  vocal  with  the  praises 
of  the  Great  Spirit,  formed  a  scene  delightfully  in 
teresting  and  sublime.  Here  the  red  men  prostrated 
themselves,  and,  in  fervent  prayer  to  God,  called  for 
mercy,  in  the  name  of  "Shasus" — Jesus — while  oth- 
ers, with  hearts  filled  with  penitential  sorrow,  cried 
with  loud  voices,  "  Ta-men-tare,  ta-men-tare !  Ho-men- 
de-zue !"     (Take  pity  on  us,  take  pity  on  us,  0  Great 


b?'A ' 


THE    DESERT    BLOSSOMS. 


811 


Spirit!)  After  preaching  an  exhortation  was  given, 
when  we  called  up  mourners,  and  many  came  whose 
faces  v/ere  suffused  with  tears.  This  meeting  lasted 
nearly  all  night.  On  Sabbath  morning  was  our  love- 
feast,  which  commenced  with  great  solemnity  and 
fervent  prayer.  After  the  bread  and  water  were 
distributed,  we  commenced  speaking  of  the  goodness 
of  God;  and  I  am  sure  this  scene  can  not  be  de- 
scribed. Here  I  fully  realized  the  saying  of  the 
prophet  Isaiah,  xxxv,  1,  2,  ''The  wilderness  and  the 
solitary  place  shall  be  glad  for  them;  and  the  desert 
shall  rejoice,  and  blossom  as  the  rose.  It  shall  blos- 
som abundantly,  and  rejoice  even  with  joy  and  sing- 
ing." The  red  men  and  women  rose  in  quick  suc- 
cession, and  told  of  the  grace  of  God,  through  Christ 
Jesus,  in  their  awakening  and  conversion  to  God,  till 
we  were  overwhelmed  with  his  goodness,  and  all 
united  in  giving  glory  to  God  in  the  highest.  After 
a  little  respite,  a  sermon  was  delivered  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  sacrament,  as  an  institution  to  be  ob- 
served by  the  disciples  of  Christ.  Then  we  proceeded 
to  the  administration  of  the  Lord's  supper.  The 
humble  believer  felt  he  had  not  followed  cunningly- 
devised  fables,  but  ^^hat  the  Gospel  and  its  ordinances 
are  the  power  of  God  to  all  that  believe  in  Christ. 
Here  many  that  were  enemies  to  the  cross  of  Christ, 
by  wicked  works,  stood  amazed  and  trembled,  wept 
and  cried  for  mercy,  while  others  shouted  for  joy. 

This  scene  is  properly  represented  by  Ezra  iii,  12, 
13,  "Tboy  wept  with  a  loud  voice,  and  many  shouted 


3112 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    l^DtAt/tS. 


aloud  for  joy;  so  that  the  people  could  not  discern 
the  noise  of  the  shout  of  joy  from  the  noise  of  the 
weeping  of  the  people:  for  the  people  shouted  with 
a  loud  shout,  and  the  noise  was  heard  afar  ofi."  A 
number  were  converted  and  joined  the  Church.  This 
quarterly  meeting  was  the  beginning  of  good  times 
in  this  nation. 

The  Sabbath  following  wc  had  our  meeting  at  the 
Big  Spring,  and  many  went  from  the  great  reserva- 
tion. As  we  were  riding  through  a  low  swampy  piece 
of  road,  we  saw  an  Indian  woman  riding  alone  before 
us,  wrapped  up  in  her  blanket.  She  was  seeking 
religion,  and  praying  as  she  rode  along.  All  at  once 
she  let  go  the  bridle,  and  began  to  clap  her  hands  and 
shout,  "0-ra-mah,  o-ra-mah!  Ho-men-de-zue !"  (Glory, 
glory,  to  the  Great  Spirit!)  Her  horse  set  off  on 
a  gallop,  but  she  paid  no  attention  to  it.  One  of  our 
company  rede  after  her,  overtook  her,  and  stopped 
ht/  horse ;  and  when  we  came  up  we  had  a  joyful  time. 

This  meeting  was  excelled  by  none  that  we  ever 
had.  It  seemed  as  if  all  came  together  in  a  spirit  of 
prayer;  and  such  a  travail  of  soul  for  the  conversion 
of  sinners,  I  have  seldom  if  ever  seen;  for  we  had 
not  been  more  than  an  hour  upon  our  knees,  till  the 
Holy  Ghost  fell  upon  us.  Sinners  fell — mourners 
were  converted — parents  and  children,  husbands  and 
wives,  embraced  each  other,  and  gave  praise  to  God, 
who,  by  sending  his  servants  and  Gospel  among  them, 
had  delivered  them  from  the  power  of  darkness,  and 
translate4  them  into  the  kingdom  of  his  dear  Son. 


SCHOOtS—  EOILblNii. 


51  .'i 


Through  the  course  of  this  year  I  baptized  a  nuin 
her  of  adults,  and  many  chihlren.  I  also  joined 
many  of  them  in  matrimony,  some  of  Avliom  had 
children  and  grandchildren;  and  among  the  Chris- 
tian party  a  general  disposition  prevailed  to  comply 
with  all  the  institutions  of  the  Gospel. 

It  was  impossible  for  us  to  do  much  in  the  school 
this  year,  for  the  want  of  proper  buildings.  We 
took  into  our  family  six  children,  whom  we  kept  and 
taught  through  the  winter;  and  when  spring  came, 
we  took  a  few  more — in  all  ten.  They  were  taught 
by  sister  Stubbs,  who  had  volunteered  to  leave  her 
comfortable  home,  and  go  with  us  to  the  wilderness. 
She  taught  them  sometimes  in  the  house,  and  some- 
times in  a  bower,  or  in  the  woods,  under  the  shade 
of  the  trees.  Brother  Stewart  also  taught  a  small 
school  of  twelve  scholars,  at  the  Uig  Spring,  through 
the  winter.  All  these  children  uade  good  progress 
in  learning.  The  old  people  were  much  pleased ;  and 
though  our  success  was  doubted  by  some,  at  the  com- 
mencement of  this  work,  I  now  found  that  we  could 
have  as  many  as  could  be  accommodated. 

In  the  mean  time,  we  were  not  inattentive  to  the 
improvement  of  the  farm.  Arrangements  were  made 
to  build  a  double  house,  forty-eight  feet  long,  by 
thirty-two  feet  wide,  including  the  porches.  The 
materials  for  this  building  brother  Rijey  and  myself 
prepared  through  the  winter;  and  by  spring  we  had 
all  ready  on  the  ground,  except  lime.  We  commenced 
putting  up  the  building,  and  by  the  last  of  July  it 


314 


LIFE    AMOyG    THE    1XI;1ANS. 


n 


liiin 


was  nearly  finished.  We  now  prepared  to  burn  lime ; 
and  in  this  work  I  labored  too  hard,  frequently  hav- 
ing to  pull  off  my  shirt,  and  wring  the  sweat  out  of 
it.  Here  I  laid  the  foundation  v/f  much  future  suf- 
fering. On  the  14th  of  July,  the  day  I  was  forty 
years  old,  I  was  taken  sick,  for  the  first  time  in  my 
life. 

My  wife  was  taken  sick  the  next  day,  with  the 
same  complaint,  and  no  physician  was  near  to  pre- 
scribe for  us,  nor  scarcely  any  medicine  wherewith 
to  relieve  ourselves.  There  were_but  two  girls  and 
brother  Riley  to  take  care  of  us.  For  two  weeks  I 
lay  in  this  situation ;  and  I  do  not  believe  my  fever 
abated  in  the  least  degree.  It  was  expected  we 
should  both  die:  and  my  dear  wife  was  speechless  for 
some  time.  One  of  the  girls  said  to  me,  "  Your  wife 
is  dying."  I  rose  from  the  bed  to  take  my  farewell. 
Some  of  the  Indians  were  standing  at  the  door.  I 
«aid  to  her,  "Are  you  happy  in  God?  Do  you  feel 
that  you  are  near  your  home?  I  expect  to  follow 
you  in  a  day  or  two ;  and  then,  glory  be  to  God,  we 
shall  cease  from  our  labors,  and  our  souls  will  be  at 
rest."  I  saw,  by  her  eyes  and  countenance,  that  her 
soul  was  happy.  The  big  tears  rolled  down  her  pale 
and  death-like  cheeks.  At  length  the  love  of  God 
in  her  soul  so  overcame  the  weakness  of  her  body, 
that  she  began  to  whisper,  "Glory!  Glory!"  She 
spoke  louder  and  louder,  till  you  could  have  heard 
her  ten  rods.  We  all  caught  the  fire,  and  I  too 
shoated  aloud.      Brother  Riley,  the  girls,  and  the 


RECOVERY  —  St E WART. 


315 


Indians,  came  in,  and  brother  Gray-Eyes  ran  and  fell 
down  at  the  bedside,  and  shouted,  "Glory  to  God!" 

0  what  a  heaven  we  had  liere  in   the  midst  of  our 
sickness!     I  felt  that  if  it  had  been  the  will  of  God, 

1  should  like  to  die. 

From  this  time  my  wife  began  to  mend  a  little, 
but  my  fever  continued.  At  midnight  I  called  up 
brother  Riley,  and  requested  him  to  go  to  the  spring, 
and  bring  me  two  buckets  of  cold  water.  This  he 
did,  and  I  got  him  to  pour  them  slowly  upon  me,  and 
then  to  Avet  a  sheet  and  put  it  on  my  head,  and  pour 
cold  water  on  it  plentifully.  This  application,  with 
the  blessing  of  God,  was  the  first  thing  that  gave  me 
relief,  and  cooled  my  fever.  The  next  day  Dr.  Sabin 
came  from  Urban  a,  and  most  affectionately  waited  on 
us  several  djiys.  But  it  was  a  long  time — not  till 
some  time  in  the  fall — before  we  fully  recovered. 

Stewart  was  my  colleague  in  this  work,  all  this 
year;  and  although  he  was  deeply  afflicted,  yet  he 
did  what  he  could.  Some  of  the  wicked  Avhites  had 
prevailed  on  the  Indians,  the  fall  I  was  appointed  to 
the  mission,  to  turn  him  away,  and  not  to  have  hira 
as  their  preacher.  They  said  that  as  he  was  a  colored 
man,  the  whites  would  not  have  him  preach  for  thew, 
although  they  considered  him  good  enough  to  teach 
Indians;  and  that  it  was  a  degradation  to  the  natiou 
to  have  a  colored  man  for  their  preacher.  And, 
indeed,  they  had  nearly  o-one  so  far  as  to  discharge 
him  in  form.  But  when  I  came  I  told  them  it  would 
D^ver  do.    He  was  their  first  teacher,  and  all  good 


810 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


white  men  would  look  upoTi  them  as  ungrateful;  nml 
further,  that  John  Stewart  had  been  appointed  to 
help  me,  and  if  they  sent  him  away,  they  must  send 
me  also.  I  heard  no  more  of  this;  but  it  seemed  as 
if  the  devil  and  his  agents  could  not  be  quiet. 

The  next  report  that  was  put  in  circulation  was, 
that  we  had  come  and  entered  into  Stewart's  labors, 
and  had  thrown  him  off  without  any  support.  Noth- 
ing was  ever  more  false.  The  first  appropriation  that 
was  made  to  brother  Stewart,  was  money  to  purchase 
a  horse,  and  to  pay  for  clothing  he  had  bought.  This 
was  made  in  1820,  besides  which  he  received  many 
presents  from  friends  in  and  about  Urbana.  lie 
married  that  yesir  a  woman  of  his  own  color,  and 
wished  to  have  a  place  of  his  own.  The  venerable 
Bishop  M'Kcndree,  of  blessed  memory,  collected  one 
hundred  dollars,  to  purchase  a  fraction  of  land  ad- 
joining the  Indian  reservation,  of  upward  of  sixty 
acres,  on  which  there  were  some  improvements  made 
by  the  Indians.  This  money  was  remitted  to  me,  and 
was  paid  for  Stewart's  land;  so  that  the  patent  was 
obtained  in  his  own  name. 

Thus,  through  the  Bishop  and  his  friends,  John 
had,  in  the  spring  of  1821,  a  good  farm  given  to 
him;  and  I  was  ordered,  by  Bishop  M'Kendree,  to 
furnish  his  family  with  provisions,  which  I  did,  when 
I  could  get  them  for  myself;  and  so  I  continued  to 
do,  as  much  as  he  would  take.  I  mention  this  to 
show  the  world  that  the  statement  was  unfounded. 
On  this  place  John  Stewart  resided  till  he  died;  an  1 


CHIEFS    AT    THE    CONFERENCE. 


817 


then  his  wife  and  brother  sold  it,  and  appropriated 
the  money  to  their  own  use. 

As  soon  as  the  health  of  my  wife  would  admit,  wo 
started  for  the  settlement;  and  after  much  and  deep 
affliction,  we  reached  Urbana,  an'^  were  kindly  re- 
ceived by  our  friends,  brother  P'^ynolds  and  wife,  and 
many  others.  This  year  our  annual  conference  was 
held  in  the  town  of  Marietta.  Three  of  our  chiefs 
were  appointed,  by  the  quarterly  meeting  conference, 
to  attend  the  annual  conference,  and  they  were  con- 
ducted there  by  Jacob  Hooper.  It  was  with  great 
difficulty  that  I  reached  it;  and  had  it  not  been  for 
the  kindness  of  brothers  A.  W.  Elliott,  Wright,  and 
Strange,  I  could  not  have  proceeded.  They  once 
took  me  out  of  the  carriage,  and  laid  me  on  the 
ground  to  die.  Brother  Elliott  took  off  his  hat,  and 
brought  me  a  little  water  from  a  small  stream,  to 
cool  my  parched  mouth ;  and  my  good  brother  Wright 
staid  and  conveyed  me  to  the  place  where  confer- 
ence met. 

Three  chiefs,  as  above  stated,  and  an  interpreter — 
William  Walker,  jr, — attended  the  conference,  held 
August,  1822.  The  following  is  the  address  of  Be- 
tween-the-Logs,  followed  by  those  of  Hicks  and  Mo- 
noncue,  as  delivered  to  the  conference,  interpreted 
by  the  interpreter,  and  taken  down  as  uttered,  by 
Kev.  Cornelius  Springer,  secretary  of  the  conference: 

"Brothers,  we  have  all  met  here  in  peaceful  times, 
and  feel  happy  to  see  you  all  well ;  and  your  business 
seems  to  go  on  in  good  order  and  peace.     This  being 


■■'..y-H''^.'.'-    ■"■ 


lippM 


818 


LIFE    AMONG    Tll£    INDIANS. 


,      :l     1 


the  day  appointed  to  hear  us  spcuk  on  th&  subject  of 
our  school  and  mission,  which  you  have  establishe<l 
among  us,  we  think  it  proper  to  let  you  know  that 
when  our  father,  the  President,  sent  to  us  to  buy  our 
land,  and  we  all  met  at  Fort  Meigs,  that  it  was  pro- 
posed that  we  should  have  a  school  among  us,  to 
teach  our  children  to  read;  and  many  of  the  chiefs 
of  our  nation  agreed  that  it  was  right,  and  that  it 
was  a  subject  on  which  we  ought  to  think.  To  this, 
after  consulting,  we  all  consented.  But  Government 
has  not  yet  sent  us  a  teacher.  Brothers,  you  have, 
and  we  are  glad  and  thankful  the  mission  and  school 
are  in  a  prosperous  way,  and  we  think  will  do  us 
much  good  to  come.  Many  ministers  of  the  Gospel 
have  come  to  us  in  our  land,  who  seemed  to  love  us 
dearly,  and  oflfcred  to  send  us  ministers  and  teachers 
to  establish  missions  and  schools  among  us ;  but  wo 
always  refused,  expecting  Government  would  send  us 
some,  which  they  promised  to  do,  and  which  was  most 
consistent  with  the  wishes  of  our  chiefs.  But  when 
you  sent  us  our  first  brother  to  preach,  we  were 
pleased,  and  listened  with  attention.  Then  when  you 
sent  us  our  good  brother  Finley,  we  rejoiced,  for  we 
all  thought  he  was  a  good  man,  and  loved  our  nation 
and  children,  and  was  alwavs  ready  to  do  us  good: 
and  when  he  moved  out,  all  our  chiefs  received  him 
with  joy,  and  our  people  were  all  very  glad.  Broth- 
ers, we  are  sorry  to  tell  you  that  it  is  not  so  now. 
Since  that  time  some  of  the  chiefs  have  withdrawn 
their  warm  love,  and  this  influences  others  to  do  so 


ADDRESS    OF    BETWEEN-TIIE-LOOS.  819 


100.  Brothers,  they  have  not  done  as  well  as  we 
expected,  and  we  feel  astonished  at  the  conduct  of 
our  chiefs — they  have  backslidden.  But  there  are 
some  of  us  yet  in  favor  of  this  mission,  if  the  rest 
have  gone  backward;  and  we  still  wish  to  have  the 
mission  continued,  and  school  abo.  Though  the 
chiefs  have  mostly  left  us,  yet  there  are  four  faithf'd 
ones  among  us,  [Between-the-Logs,  Hicks,  Monon- 
cue,  and  Peacock.]  Brothers,  we  know  the  cause 
why  they  have  withdrawn.  It  was  the  words  of  the 
Gospel.  Brothers,  it  is  too  sharp  for  them — it  cuts 
too  close.  It  cuts  all  the  limbs  of  sin  from  the  body, 
and  they  don't  like  it;  but  we  [meaning  the  other 
four]  are  willing  to  have  all  the  limbs  of  sin  cut  from 
our  bodies,  and  live  holy.  We  want  the  mission  and 
school  to  go  on,  and  we  believe  that  the  great  God 
will  not  suffer  them  to  fall  through;  for,  brothers, 
he  is  very  strong,  and  this,  brothers,  is  our  great  joy. 
The  wicked  that  do  not  like  Jesus,  raise  up  their 
hands,  and  do  all  they  can  to  discourage  and  destroy 
the  love  of  the  little  handful;  and  with  their  hands 
they  cover  over  the  roots  of  wickedness.  But,  broth- 
ers, they  may  do  all  they  can  to  stop  it — the  work  will 
go  on  and  prosper,  for  the  great  God  Almighty  holds 
it  up  with  his  hand.  When  you  placed  Mr.  Finley 
among  us,  in  our  own  country,  we  rejoiced;  and  we 
have  been  much  pleased  with  his  living  among  us 
ever  since.  He  is  a  plain  man.  lie  does  not  flatter 
our  people.  lie  preaches  plain  truth.  He  says  to 
them,  this  is  the  way  to  life,  and  this  is  the  way  to 


Ij! 

,j  In 


320 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


damnation.  Brothers,  we  suppose  this  is  the  reason 
why  some  have  turned  enemies  to  our  brother;  but 
he  pleases  all  those  Avho  are  willing  to  serve  God, 
and  love  his  ways;  therefore,  we  have  nothing  to  fear 
concerning  the  mission  and  school.  They  are  built 
on  a  solid  rock,  and  look  like  prospering.  For  our 
parts,  we  have  no  learning,  and  we  are  now  getting 
old,  and  it  is  hardly  worth  our  while  to  trouble  our- 
selves about  learning  now;  but  we  want  very  much 
our  children  learned,  and  we  hope  our  school  and 
mission  will  do  great  good  for  them." 

Here  Between-the-Logs  stopped,  and  John  Hicks 
arose  and  said,  "  Brothers,  I  feel  great  thanks  toward 
our  heavenly  Father,  for  keeping  us  and  bringing  us 
here.  Not  long  ago  one  of  my  brethren  asked  me 
my  opinion  of  the  school.  I  told  him  I  would  send 
all  my  children,  for  this  reason :  Not  a  great  while 
ago,  I  stood  in  darkness,  and  knew  but  little  of  God, 
and  all  that  I  did  know  was  dark ;  so  that  I  could  not 
see  clear.  But  I  heard  our  brethren  preach  out  of 
the  good  Book  of  God.  This  word  >^.iked  up  my 
mind,  and  cut  my  heart.  Brothers,  it  brought  me 
to  pray,  aud  seek,  and  love  the  great  God  of  heaven 
and  his  way.  This  is  the  reason  I  want  my  children 
to  learn  to  read  the  great  Book  of  God,  and  under- 
stand it,  and  get  religion,  that  they  may  be  happy  in 
this  world  and  the  next.  Brothers,  I  don't  want  to 
be  long  on  the  subject,  but  will  let  you  know  that  I 
am  of  the  same  opinion  with  my  brother  that  spoke 
before  me,  with  respect  to  our  brother  Finley.     I 


SPEECH    OF    MONONCUE. 


821 


hope  you  will  still  continue  him  with  us.  lie  has 
done  us  much  good.  IJe  has  been  the  means  of  con- 
verting souls;  so  that  many  bad  men  have  become 
good  men,  and  very  wicked  sinners  have  turned  to 
the  Lord,  and  now  keep  his  good  words.  May  the 
Great  Spirit  keep  him  among  us,  and  greatly  bless 
his  labors!" 

Then  he  took  hia  seat,  and  brother  Mononcue  spoke 
as  follows:  "Brothers,  I  have  not  much  to  say.  You 
see  us  all  three  here  to-day,  in  health  and  peace,  for 
which  we  are  very  thankful  to  God.  You  will  not 
expect  much  from  me  on  the  subject  of  the  mission 
and  school,  as  my  brothers  have  spoken  before  me 
ail  that  is  necessary.  I  wish  just  to  say,  we  want 
our  brother  Finley  still  to  live  among  us.  For  my 
part,  last  year  I  expected  he  would  come  among  us, 
and  it  turned  out  so,  and  I  was  very  glad,  and  I  am 
Btill  much  pleased  with  him.  The  conference  made 
a  good  choice — it  was  our  choice — and  the  good 
Spirit  was  pleased  to  give  it  to  us.  lie  has  a  par- 
ticular manner  of  teaching  and  preaching  to  us, 
diiferent  from  other  teachers  "ho  have  been  anions: 
us;  and  God  owns  and  blesses  his  labors.  May  ho 
still  go  on  and  prosper!  We  want  him  among  us 
still.  I  know  that  the  words  that  he  speaks  are  of 
God.  When  he  preaches,  I  feel  his  truth  in  my 
heart — in  my  soul.  0,  brothers !  it  makes  my  soul 
happy.  All  of  us  Avant  him  with  us.  His  life  among 
us  is  very   useful,  because   it   is  straight.      He  was 

very  industrious  all  the  time  he  has  been  with  us, 

-*1 


•mm 


322 


LIFE    AMOiTG     I  HE    INDIANS. 


and  learns  our  people  to  work;  and  since  he  haa 
left  us,  we  have  been  lost,  though  it  has  been  but 
a  few  days.  We  have  felt  as  if  our  oldest  brother 
was  taken  from  us,  and  the  place  where  he  lived  all 
looked  sorry.  But  what  feelings  of  joy  did  we  feel 
in  our  hearts  when  we  met  our  brother  at  this  place, 
and  took  him  by  the  hand !  We  thank  the  almighty 
God  who  has  spared  our  brother.  The  great  objec- 
tion that  our  chiefs  have  against  our  brother  Finley 
is :  A  colored  man  that  preached  to  us  used  to  feed 
them  on  milk.  This  they  liked  very  well;  but  our 
brother  Finley  fed  them  on  meat.  ThiH  was  too  strong 
for  them,  and  so  they  will  not  eal..  But  those  that 
want  to  love  God  and  his  ways,  co'ild  eat  both  milk 
and  meat.  It  does  well  with  us,  and  we  feel  always 
hungry  for  more."  After  requesting  the  conference 
to  employ  a  steady  interpreter  for  the  use  of  the 
school  and  Gospel,  he  sat  down. 

Bishop  M'Kendree  replied  in  substance  as  follows: 
"We  are  glad — we  are  exceedingly  joyful,  to  see 
this  day;  for  we  have  long  been  anxious  to  see  the 
time  when  our  red  brethren  of  the  west  would  em- 
brace religion.  Our  joy  is  abundantly  increased 
when  we  see  you  face  to  face,  and  hear  tLo  Gqspel 
from  vour  own  mouths.  We  are  well  disposed  toward 
you.  In  us  you  have  real  friends;  and  you  may 
be  well  assured  that  our  kindness  will  be  continued. 
We  v'iil  make  every  exertion  possible  to  educate  and 
instruct  your  children.  These  men  [alluding  to  the 
conference]  are  not  the  only  friends  you  have.     You 


ADDRESS    CONCLUDED. 


323 


f  the 


hav^e  many  throughout  the  country  in  general.  In 
the  great  cities  the  white  people  feel  for  their  red 
brethren,  ond  are  forming  societies  to  send  them 
help.  The  Great  Spirit  has  come,  not  only  on  the 
old  men,  but  also  on  the  little  children.  In  Balti 
more  there  is  a  society  formed  for  the  purpose  of 
sending  help  to  educate  your  children.  If  you  will 
stand  by  us  we  will  stand  by  you.  We  will  unite  with 
you  in  prayer  for  your  success,  and  for  the  conver- 
sion of  your  brethren  who  have  backslidden  and  left 
you;  and  if  you  continue  faithful,  God  will  convince 
tbem,  and  they  will  return  tj  you  again.  But  in  all 
this  let  us  look  up  to  God  for  success." 


i 


324 


LIFE    AMOJfG    THE    INDIANS. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

VISIT  TO  NEIGHBORING  TRIBES. 

The  conference  for  1822  was  held  in  August,  at 
Marietta.  Such  was  the  state  of  my  own  health  and 
that  of  my  wife,  that  it  was  doubtful  whether  we 
could  return  to  tho  ion.     I  was,  therefore,  ap- 

pointed to  the  Lebanon  uistrict,  and  also  made  super- 
intendent of  the  mission.  The  understanding  was, 
that  if  my  health  was  recovered,  I  should  be  released 
from  the  district,  and  return  to  the  mission. 

In  the  mean  time,  Rev.  Charles  Elliott  was  ap- 
pointed missionary,  and  also  to  take  charge  of  the 
school.  He  arrived  at  the  mission  house  on  the 
1st  of  October,  and  immediately  entered  upon  his 
labors.  The  school  iucreased  rapidly,  and  soon  be- 
came so  large  that  it  became  necessary  to  employ  a 
male  and  female  teacher.  Accordingly,  the  services 
of  William  Walker,  who  belonged  to  the  nation,  and 
could  speak  the  language,  and  of  sister  Lydia  Bar- 
stow,  were  secured.  I  also  raised  a  supply  of  cloth- 
ing for  the  children,  enough  to  make  them  comfort- 
able till  spring. 

This  winter  the  work  of  God  commenced  in  the 
mission  family,  and  many  of  the  children  embraced 
religion.    It  was  not  unusual  for  them,  in  the  evening, 


INTER  ESTINO     MEETIN(iS. 


325 


to  sing  and  pray  together,  and  sometimes  they  would 
meet  each  other  in  chass  meeting.  Before  they  lay 
down  to  sleep  I  have  stood  in  the  evening,  a^nd  heard 
them  m  the  bushes  at  secret  prayer,  and  so  much 
engaged  that  they  would  break  into  shouts.  First 
one,  and  then  another,  would  go  and  join  in  singing; 
and  others  collecting  together  with  them,  they  would 
have  a  prayer  meeting.  Sister  Barstow  was  well 
calculated  to  watch  over  and  teach  them  in  their 
spiritual  interests,  and  frequently  held  prayer  and 
class  meetings  with  them.  Wm.  Walker,  the  teacher, 
sought  and  found  the  Lord,  and  became  very  zealous 
in  the  cause.  We  formed  a  class  at  the  mission 
house  of  the  children,  boys  and  girls,  and. appointed 
him  leader.  While  God  thus  blessed  us  at  home,  the 
work  spread  through  the  nation,  and  our  meetings 
were  almost  every  one  crowned  with  the  conversion 
of  souls,  so  that  the  society  grew  from  sixty-five  to 
upward  of  two  hundred. 

*  Circumstances  made  it  necessary  for  me  to  leave 
the  district,  and  stay  all  the  time  at  the  mission.  To 
supply  its  wants,  brother  Elliott  spent  much  of  his 
time  in  making  collections  abroad. 

The  prosperity  of  the  Church  excited  a  great  op- 
position in  the  heathen  party,  so  that  we  had  some 
long  combats  on  the  subject  of  religion.  Bloody- 
Eyes,  the  brother  of  Betwecn-the-Logs,  went  to  his 
brother's  house  one  day  to  kill  him  for  departing 
from  their  Indian  religion.  He  seized  him  by  the 
hair,  and  stood  with  his  tomahawk  drawn,  while  Be* 


mfmmmm 


826 


LIFE    AMONG    TUE    INDIANS. 


twccii-the-Logs  said,  "  Brother,  have  I  done  you  any 
harm?  Am  I  not  as  kind  to  you  as  ever  I  was?  If 
you  will  kill  me  for  loving  you  and  my  God,  you  may, 
but  I  will  not  hurt  you;  and  I  know  if  you  do  kill 
nre,  I  shall  go  straight  to  heaven,  for  I  feel  the  love 
of  God  now  in  my  soul."  This  caused  Bloody-Eyes 
to  desist,  saying,  "I  will  give  you  one  year  to  think 
and  turn  back ;"  and  so  he  left  him.  Some  time  after 
this  Between-the-Logs  sent  for  me  one  evening.  I 
went,  and,  to  my  surprise,  found  there  his  brother, 
Bloody-Eyes,  the  interpreter,  and  another  person. 
After  supper,  and  a  sm';ke  of  the  pipe  of  peace,  he 
commenced  on  the  subject  of  religion,  and  soon  got 
the  old  man  and  myself  engaged  in  a  conversation 
which  lasted  till  nine  o'clock  next  day.  He  agreed 
that  he  would  try  and  reform  his  life,  and  seek  the 
salvation  of  his  soul.  This  he  did,  joined  society, 
and  died  afterward  in  great  peace. 

The  head  chief,  De-un-quot,  and  his  party,  at  one 
time,  came  on  Sabbath  to  the  council-house,  where 
we  held  our  meetings,  dressed  up  and  painted  in  real 
savage  Indian  style,  with  their  head  bands  filled  with 
silver  bobs,  their  head-dress  consisting  of  feathers 
and  painted  horse  hair.  The  chief  had  a  half  moon 
of  silver  on  his  neck  before,  and  several  hangings  on 
his  back.  He  had  nose-jewels  and  earrings,  and 
many  bands  of  silver  on  his  arms  and  legs.  Around 
bis  apkles  hung  many  buck-hoofs,  to  rattle  when  he 
walked.  His  party  were  dressed  in  a  similar  style. 
The  likenesses   of   animals   were    painted  on  their 


DISCOURSE    TO    THE    HEATHEN.        327 


breasts  and  backs,  and  snakes  on  their  arms.  Wlion 
he  came  in,  he  addressed  the  congregation  in  Indian 
style,  with  a  polite  compliment;  and  then  taking  his 
seat,  struck  fire,  took  out  his  pipe,  lighted  it,  and 
commenced  smoking.  Others  of  his  party  followed 
his  example.  I  knew  this  was  done  by  way  of  op- 
position, and  designed  as  an  insult.  Soon  after  I 
took  my  text — John  v,  16:  "Wilt  thou  be  made 
whole?"  I  spoke  of  the  diseases  of  man's  soul,  and 
showed  from  history  the  injustice  of  one  nation  to 
another;  the  treatment  of  the  white  people  to  the 
natives  of  North  and  South  America;  the  conduct 
of  man  to  his  brother,  and  his  abuse  of  himself,  his 
drunkenness  and  degradation.  I  then  told  them  that 
all  the  good  we  have  comes  from  God,  and  that  he 
would  make  us  happy;  but  that  we,  from  the  bad- 
ness of  our  hearts,  use  these  blessings  to  our  own 
hurt;  and  that  all  evil  proceeds  out  of  the  heart: 
therefore,  all  our  hearts  must  be  evil,  and  that  con- 
tinually; that  we  are  proud,  and  of  this  we  have  an 
example  before  us,  in  our  grandfather,  the  head  chief. 
Surely  these  things  can  do  him  no  good,  but  to  feed 
a  proud  heart.  They  will  not  warm  his  body  when 
cold,  nor  feed  him  when  he  is  hungry. 

As  soon  as  I  sat  down,  he  arose  with  all  the  dig- 
nity of  an  Indian,  and  spoke  as  follows :  "  My  friends, 
this  is  a  pretty  day,  and  your  faces  all  look  pleas- 
antly. I  thank  the  Great  Spirit  that  he  has  per- 
mitted us  to  meet.  I  have  listened  to  your  preacher. 
He  has  said  some  things  that  arc  good,  but  they  have 


a28 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


notliing  to  do  with  us:  we  arc  Indians,  and  belong  to 
tlie  red  man's  God.     That  Book  was  made  by  the 
white  man's  God,  and  suitb  them.     They  can  read  it; 
we  can  not;  and  what  he  has  said,  Avill  do  for  white 
men,  but  with  us  it  has  nothing  to  do.     Once,  in  the 
days  of  our  grandfathers,  many  years  ago,  this  white 
man's  God  came  himself  to  this  country  and  claimed 
us.     But  our  God  met  him  somewhere  near  the  great 
mountains,  and  they  disputed  about  the  right  to  this 
country.     At  last  they  agreed  to  settle  this  question 
by  trying  their  power  to  remove  a  mountain.     The 
white  man's  God  got  doAvn  on  his  knees,  opened  a  big 
Book,  and  began  to  pray  and  talk,  but  the  mountain 
stood  fast.     Then  the  red  man's  God  took  his  magic 
wand,  and  began  to  pow-wow,  and  beat  the  turtle- 
shell,  and  the  mountain  trembled,  shook,  and  stood 
by  him.     The  white  man's  God  got  frightened,  and 
ran  off,  and  we  have  not  heard  of  him  since,  unless 
he  has  sent  these  men  to  see  what  they  can  do." 
All  the  time  he  was  speaking,  the  heathen  party  were 
0*1  tiptoe,  and  often  responded,  saying,  "  Tough  gon- 
dee^'  that  is,  true  or  rigid;  and  seemed  to  think  they 
had  won  the  victory. 

As  soon  as  he  sat  down,  I  arose  and  said,  "Our 
grandfather  is  a  great  man — he  is  an  able  warrior,  a 
great  hunter,  and  a  good  chief  in  many  things;  and 
in  all  this  I  am  his  son.  But  when  it  comes  to  mat- 
ters of  religion,  he  is  my  son,  and  I  am  his  father. 
He  has  told  ua-  a  long  and  queer  story.  I  wonder 
where  he  obtained  it?    He  may  have  dreamed  it,  or 


PINLKY    ANSWERS    DE-UN-QUOT.       820 


they 

"Our 

rior,  a 

,  and 

mat- 

tather. 

londer 
it,  or 


he  has  lieard  some  drmikcn  Indian  tell  it;  for  you 
know  that  drunkards  always  see  great  siglits,  and 
have  many  revehitions,  wliich  sober  men  never  liave.' 
(Here  my  old  friend,  Mononcue,  said,  "  Tough  gon- 
dee.'^)  "But  my  friend,  the  head  chief,  is  niistaken 
about  his  gods;  for  if  it  requires  a  god  for  every 
color,  there  must  be  many  more  gods.  This  man  is 
black — pointing  to  Pointer — I  am  white,  and  you  are 
red.  Who  made  the  bh.ck  man?  where  is  his  God? 
This  book  tells  you  and  me  that  there  is  but  one  God. 
ftnd  that  he  made  all  things,  and  all  nations  of  the 
earth  of  o)ie  bloody  to  dwell  together;  and  a  strong 
evidence  is,  that  the  difference  of  color  is  no  obstacle 
to  generation.  God  has  diversified  the  color  of  the 
plants.  Go  to  the  plains  and  see  how  varied  they 
are  in  their  appearance.  Look  at  the  beasts;  they 
are  of  all  colors.  So  it  is  with  men.  God  has  given 
them  all  shades  of  color,  from  the  jet  black  to  the 
snow  white.  Then  your  being  a  red  man,  and  I  a 
white  man,  is  no  argument  at  all  that  there  are  two 
Gods.  And  I  again  say,  that  this  book  is  true  in 
•what  it  states  of  man  having  a  bad  heart,  and  being 
wicked;  and  that  my  friend  has  a  proud  heart,  is 
evident  from  his  dress,  and  painting  himself.  God 
made  me  white,  and  that  man  black.  We  are  con- 
tented. But  my  friend  does  not  think  the  Great 
Spirit  has  made  him  pretty  enough — he  must  put 
on  his  paint  to  make  himself  look  better.  This  is 
u  plain  proof  that  he  is  a  proud  man,  and  has  an 

evil  heart."     Seeing  that  the  chief  was  angry,  I  said, 

28 


830 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


^'My  grandfatlier  will  not  get  angry  at  his  son  foi 
telling  him  the  truth,  but  he  might  if  I  had  told  bim 
a  lie." 

He  then  rose,  considerably  excited,  saying,  *'l  am 
not  angry;  but  you  can  not  show  in  all  youi  book 
where  an  Indian  is  forbid  to  paint.  You  may  find 
where  white  people  are  forbid,  but  you  can  not  show 
where  an  Indian  is."  I  then  arose,  and  read  from  the 
third  chapter  of  Isaiah,  at  the  sixteenth  verse,  and 
told  him  that  these  people  were  not  white  men,  as 
the  Americans,  and  yet  were  forbidden  to  use  those 
foolish  ornaments.  He  arose  and  said  I  had  not  read 
it  right.  I  then  handed  the  book  to  one  of  the  Mr. 
Walkers,  and  he  read  and  interpreted  it,  so  that  the 
old  man  was  at  last  confounded,  and  said  no  more. 

Then  Between-the-Logs  rose,  and  said,  "  I  am  glad 
that  this  day  has  come,  and  we  have  all  heard  for 
ourselves."  Then  turning  to  the  head  chief,  he  ad- 
dressed him  thus:  "You  ought  to  examine  your  re- 
ligion well,  and  see  that  it  be  true ;  for  if  you  are 
lost,  you  will  take  with  you  all  these  men,  and  many 
others.  The  strength  and  truth  of  religion  are  known 
by  its  fruits.  Has  your  religion  made  you  better 
men?  I  know  the  strength  of  both.  I  followed 
yours  to  the  end,  and  it  never  did  me  any  good;  but 
I  still  was  a  bad  man,  with  a  bad  heart.  I  have  tried 
the  religion  of  this  book.  I  have  prayed  to  God 
as  it  told  me,  and  he  has  answered  me  from  heaven, 
and  n.ade  my  heart  better.  I  have  ceased  getting 
drunk,  and  laid  aside  all  other  bad  practices;  and 


DEATH    OP    DE-UN-QUOT. 


m 


now  I  have  peace.  I  will  make  a  bargain  witli  you, 
this  day.  You  go  on  your  own  way,  and  take  all 
that  company  with  you;  and,  if  you  are  all  lost,  you 
shall  bear  the  whole  blame  and  punishment;  and  I 
will  take  these,  [pointing  to  the  Christian  party,] 
and  if  they  will  walk  according  to  this  book,  I  will 
take  the  blame  and  punishment  if  they  arc  lost." 
But  De-nn-quot  said,  "No,  I  am  the  head  of  the 
nation,  and  the  head  ought  to  be  believed.  With 
these  arms  I  can  take  hold  of  both  parties,  and  try 
to  keep  you  both  steady." 

This  ended  the  controversv,  and  I  believe  I  was 
never  again  attacked  in  public.  But  on  one  occa- 
sion, when  there  was  a  great  and  good  work,  and 
several  had  joined  society,  the  head  chief  said,  "This 
religion  may  go  into  all  the  houses  on  this  reserva- 
tion, but  into  mine  it  shall  not  come."  In  less  than 
a  year  the  old  man  was  called  away  by  death.  A 
short  time  after  Between-the-Logs,  at  a  meeting, 
called  the  attention  of  the  congregation  to  what  De- 
un-quot  had  said.  Said  he,  "God  has  taken  him 
out  of  the  door,  and  now  let  his  wife  and  children 
take  in  Christ.  He  has  taken  Winnetauke,  and  oth- 
ers, that  stood  in  the  door,  and  he  will  soon  take 
away  all  that  stand  in  the  door;  for  you  might  as 
well  stop  the  roaring  thunder-storm,  by  lifting  up 
your  hand,  as  to  stop  this  religion.  God  has  said 
it  shall  go  unto  all  nations;  and  who  can  overcome 
God?  None."  The  head  chief 's  wife  then  came  for- 
ward, joined  the  Church,  and  asked  them  to  come 


nn2 


M  K  K    A  M  0  N  11    T  II  K     I  M)  I  A  N  fi  . 


til  ', 


ninl  lioM  prayer  meeting];  nt  licr  liouso.  So  tlie  Lord 
got  into  tlic  liead  fliit'f's  house,  and  lii.s  family  em- 
braced religion.  Header,  are  you  standing  in  the 
door?  Take  care  that  you  are  not  taken  out  of  it, 
to  admit  the  Lord  into  your  family.  .  . 

We  had  some  difficulties  arising  from  the  admin- 
istration of  Discipline.  It  was  a  hard  task  for  the 
Indians  to  learn  the  reason  for,  and  the  object  to  be 
obtained  by  a  wholesome  government.  Here  I  will 
relate  a  case.  Charges  were  brought  against  Be- 
tween-the-Logs  for  the  non-payment  of  a  debt,  con- 
tracted with  an  Indian  trader  some  years  before. 
The  circumstances  were  these:  Between-the-Loga 
took  between  three  and  four  hundred  raccoon-skins 
to  market,  and  went  to  a  trader  to  sell  them.  The 
trader  offered  twenty-five  cents  per  skin,  part  in 
goods  and  part  in  money.  Between-the-Logs  refused 
it,  saying  he  must  have  fifty  cents.  The  trader  said 
that  the  price  of  raccoon-skins  had  fallen,  and  none 
.were  giving  more  than  twenty-five  cents.  After  much 
persuasion,  and  declaring  that  ho  had  told  him  the 
truth,  the  trader  ofi'ered,  in  addition  to  the  twenty- 
five  cents,  a  small  premium,  so  that  he  obtained  the 
old  man's  winter  hunting  at  that  price.  Betwcen- 
the-Logs  then  went  to  another  trader,  who  asked 
him  what  he  had  done  with  his  winter's  skins?  To 
this  he  replied,  that  he  had  sold  them  to  Mr.  — — . 
*'  How  much,"  said  the  trader,  "  did  you  get  for 
them?"  "Twenty-five  cents,"  said  Between-the-Logs, 
**  half  in  cash  and  the  rest  in  goods."    "  Well,"  said 


THE    FALSE    TRADEK. 


333 


the  trader,  "if  you  had  come  to  inc,  I  would  have 
given  you  fifty  cents;  for  skins  here  bear  a  good 
price  this  year." 

From  this  phice  Between-the-Logs  went  to  Urhana; 
and,  on  inquiring,  ascertained  tliat  he  had  been  de- 
ceived both  in  the  price  of  the  skins  and  of  the  goods 
also;  for  the  goods  were  much  dearer  than  he  could 
have  purchased  them  in  Urbana.  This  raised  his 
Indian  temper.  But  while  he  remained  at  Urbana, 
the  trader,  to  whom  ho  had  sold  his  skins,  came  with 
a  wagon-load  of  fur  to  get  more  dry  goods.  "Now,'* 
said  Between-the-Logs,  "I  will  trap  him,  if  I  can." 
He  wanted  saddlery;  and,  as  he  requested  the  trader 
to  go  his  security,  which  he  readily  did,  Between-the- 
Logs  purchased,  on  his  credit,  the  amount  out  of 
which  he  had  cheated  him.  He  then  said,  "You  have 
set  your  trap  and  caught  me;  now  I  have  caught 
you  in  mine,  and  we  are  even."  When  the  sad- 
dler called  for  his  money,  the  trader  had  to  pay 
it.  Between-the-Logs  refused  to  pay  the  trader,  say- 
ing, "  You  have  cheated  me  by  lying,  and  I  have  now 
caught  you."  This  trader  complained  of  Between- 
the-Logs  to  the  other  Christian  chiefs,  and  they  would 
not  rest,  for  they  thought  it  a  disgrace  to  religion. 
I,  therefore,  called  a  committee,  and  the  trial  com- 
menced. 

This  produced  great  excitement.  To  try  an  Indian 
chief  was  an  unheard-of  thing.  I  labored  all  night 
to  convince  him  that  he  must  not  do  evil  that  good 
might  come  by  it;  for,  said  I,  if  my  neighbor  does 


m:.i 


iiiii 


384 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS, 


wrong,  I  must  not  do  wrong  to  match  him.  But  he 
insisted  that,  on  the  principles  of  sheer  justice  to 
himself  and  his  family,  he  had  done  no  wrong ;  that 
the  trader  had  put  his  hand  into  his  pocket,  and  all 
he  had  done  was  to  put  his  hand  into  the  trader's 
pocket,  and  take  his  own  back.  He  could  see  no 
crime  in  that.  As  the  trader  had  got  his  money, 
he  was  not  the  sufferer,  and  iie  thought  it  was  just. 
I  then  labored  to  persuade  him  to  compromise  the 
matter;  but  he  said  he  would  have  nothing  to  do  with 
the  man,  for  he  was  a  notorious  chcjit.  But  he  would 
make  a  proposition  to  his  accusers,  if  they  would 
accept  of  it.  He  said  he  would  be  perfectly  satis- 
fied to  leave  the  whole  business  to  me.  He  said, 
furthermore,  that  he  had  a  steer,  which  I  might  take 
and  do  with  it  in  the  case  as  I  thought  best  and  right ; 
for  he  was  confident  that  I  knew  more  about  the 
principles  of  justice  between  man  and  man  than  he 
<!'  \  But  his  mind  was  fixed,  and  he  thought  it  would 
never  alter.  So  all  the  parties  agreed  to  leave  it  to 
me.  With  the  'steer  I  paid  the  trader,  and  so  the 
thing  was  adjusted. 

In  July  I  visited  some  of  the  neighboring  tribes, 
in  company  with  Between-the-Logs,  Mononcue,  John 
Hicks,  with  Jonathan  Pointer  for  interpreter.  The 
rivers  and  creeks  were  very  full,  and,  in  the  very 
outset,  we  had  to  swim  our  horses  over  the  Sandusky 
river.     We,  ourselves,  however,  crossed  in  a  canoe. 

After  we  had  caught  our  animals,  and  adjusted  our 
baggage,  we  set  out,  cheerfully  conversing  on  the  sub- 


METHODISM    AND    CALVINISM. 


335 


,'ery 
iskv 


ject  of  religion.  I  was  asked  by  Mononcue  wherein 
the  Presbyterians  and  Methodists  differed  in  their 
views  of  religion.  I  told  him  the  priiir/pal  difference 
was  briefly  this:  The  Methodists  believe  tl)at  all  men 
may  obtain  religion,  if  they  will  seek  it ;  and  perse- 
vering, may  be  finally  saved;  but  that  if  unfaithful 
after  they  have  obtained  religion,  they  will  lose  it, 
and  perish  forever.  The  Presbyterians  believe  thai 
none  can  experience  religion  but  the  elect,  or  those 
whom  God  has  made  for  the  purpose;  and  that  when 
they  have  obtained  religion,  they  can  not  lose  t. 
*'  And  "what  becomes  of  the  rest  ?"  inquired  Hicks. 
*'  Why,"  said  I,  "  they  are  left  to  perish — the  devil 
gets  them."  ''  This  can  not  be  right,"  said  Between- 
the-Logs.  '■  God  is  too  good  a  being  to  do  so.  Now," 
said  he.  "  suppose  I  had  two  boys,  and  I  take  a  tug 
and  tie  one  of  them  fast,  and  say  to  the  boys,  '  If  you 
•will  come  with  me,  I  will  hunt  and  find  you  meat  to 
keep  you  from  starving.'  This  would  je  a  useless 
offer  to  the  one  whom  I  had  tied  so  fast  that  he  could 
not  go,  while  I  loft  him  to  starve,  because  he  did  not 
follow  me.  Would  that  be  right?"  "No,"  answered 
Mononcue,  "you  would  be  a  better  father  to  takb 
your  tomahawk  and  kill  him,  than  to  leave  the  poor 
fellow  to  starve.  I  don't  believe  a  word  of  such  doc- 
trines,"  said  he;  "nor  do  I  believe  that  a  man  can 
not  lose  his  religion.  I  feel  th.at  I  can  hardly  keep 
it  at  all.  It  seems  to  me  that  I  have  to  hold  on  all 
the  time,  or  it  will  steal  off  and  leave  me.  I  know  it 
is  not  true.     I  feel  it  every  day.     I  must  hold  fast, 


'•''''•'•'^^^^f^mmmmmmmmmmmmmir'19'^mmim 


836 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


1 


or  I  am  gone.  It  will  not  stay,  except  by  prayer 
Quit  this,  and  it  is  gone.  By  this  means  we  get  it, 
and  by  this  only  we  can  keep  it." 

By  this  time  we  had  reached  Honey  creek,  near  a 
small  village  of  Mohawks,  composed  of  the  Brants 
and  my  old  friend,  John  Vanmetre's  family.  This 
creek  was  very  full,  so  as  to  overflow  its  banks,  and 
.here  was  no  way  of  crossing,  but  to  drive  in  our 
horses,  and  to  wade  to  a  large  tree  fallen  across  the 
main  bed  of  the  creek,  over  which  the  water  poured 
like  the  breast  of  a  mill-dam.  At  length  it  was  con- 
cluded that  Between-the-Logs,  myself,  and  Jonathan, 
should  take  over  the  saddles  and  blankets  on  our 
shoulders,  and  try  the  water.  We  did  so,  but  it  was 
with  great  difficulty  we  could  walk  the  log.  Yet  we 
got  safe  over,  and  then  waded  out  to  dry  land,  in 
order  to  dispose  of  our  baggage.  I  then  Avaded  back 
to  the  edge  of  the  creek  to  catch  our  horses.  Hicks 
and  Mononcue  drove  them  in,  and  the  water  carried 
them  down  to  some  yourg  sycamores,  that  were  near 
to  the  side  we  were  on.  There  the  four  horses  lodged 
on  the  bushes,  and  for  some  time  struggled  to  free 
themselves.  At  length  a  sapling  gave  way,  and 
three  of  them  swung  off.  But  Mononcue's  horsr 
hung,  and  was  in  the  very  act  of  drowning,  whei 
Between-the-Logs  threw  off  his  coat,  and  plunging 
into  the  stream,  swam  up  and  took  hold  of  the  bridle, 
and  held  his  head  out  of  the  water,  but  could  not 
relcas*,  him.  Then  Pointer  plunged  in;  and  a^  he 
could  not  swim,  he  cautiously  caught  hold  of  a  young 


CROSSING    nONEY    CREEK. 


837 


tree 
and 
orsf 
hei 

idle, 
not 
U 

.UDg 


; 


,L. 


\ 


\ 


sycamore,  and  bent  the  bush  down,  and  let  the  horse 
awing  oiF,  when  Between-the-Logs  swam  back.  By 
this  time  Hicks  and  Mononcue  had  arrived,  and  all 
Vt'ere  safe  but  Jonathan,  who  was  still  hanging  on  the 
young  sycampre.  To  relieve  him,  we  took  oflf  tiie 
strips  of  bark  we  had  peeled  to  hobble  our  horses, 
tied  them  together,  and  made  a  rope.  This  we  fast- 
ened to  a  stick,  and  threw  it  into  the  stream  above 
him,  which  he  caught.  He  then  tied  the  bark  around 
him,  and  Mononcue  and  myself  towed  him  to  the 
shore.  So  we  all  crossed  without  anv  material  in- 
jury,  and  in  a  short  time  found  ourselves  housed 
with  our  friend,  Vanmctre.  We  were  soon  furnished 
with  a  good  dish  of  venison,  and  some  spicewood  tea, 
with  which  we  satisfied  our  craving  appetites.  We 
then  sent  out  a  runner  to  notify  all  the  village  to 
come  to  meeting  that  night. 

In  this  meeting  I  led  the  way,  by  asking  tliu  ques 
tion,  "  Wilt  thou  be  made  whc^lef  I  fir-  pointed  out 
the  disease;  secondly,  the  physician;  and,  ihirdly,  tlie 
cure.  The  Lord  was  with  us  indeed.  All  the  chiefs 
exhorted,  and  then  we  joined  in  a  prayer  meeting; 
and  we  have  cause  to  believe  one  or  two  were  "made 
whole."  We  had  meeting,  next  morning,  formed  a 
small  class,  and  I  appointed  my  friend,  Yanmetre,  to 
be  their  leader.  I  believe  that  he  and  his  wife,  Susan, 
persevered  till  death. 

We  then  set  off   for  another  Mohawk  town;    but 
when  we  arrived,  we  found  that  they  had  all  gone  to 

ihe  great  Seneca  feast.     We  now  directed  our  course 

'A2 


\ 

I 


I 


mmmi. 


mm 


S38 


LIFE    AMONG     THE    INDIANS. 


to  Fort  Ball,  the  residence  of  the  sub-agent,  J.  Mont- 
gomery.    Here  we  staid  all  night. 

On  Sabbath  morning  we  went  to  the  Seneca  coun- 
cil-house. Here  there  were  from  fifty  to  one  hundrei] 
Indians  playing  ball.  Their  shouts  were  truly  terri- 
fying. The  three  Wyandott  chiefs',  the  agent,  and 
myself,  went  up  near  the  council-house,  and  seated 
ourselves  on  a  log,  to  wait  an  invitation  to  come  in, 
for,  on  such  occasions,  they  are  very  ceremonious. 
There  we  waited  for  two  hours.  This  delay  was  oc- 
casioned by  the  absence  of  one  of  the  principal 
chiefs.  At  length  we  heard  the  wished-for  invitation. 
When  we  went  in  we  found  the  chiefs  all  seated,  with 
their  head  chief  in  the  midst  of  them.  We  took  our 
seat  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  house.  Soon  the 
pipe  of  peace  was  lighted  up,  and  sent  by  the  chiefs 
to  us,  and  we  all  smoked.  When  this  was  over,  the 
chief  woman  brought  a  small  kettle  of  hominy,  and 
we  all  took  a  ladleful  as  it  passed.  Then  their  head 
chief  arose  and  addressed  us  as  follows: 

"Brothers,  we  are  thankful  to  the  Great  Spirit  that 
he  has  appointed  this  day  for  us  to  meet  again  in  this 
world;  and  we  tiiank  him  that  we  are  all  in  good 
health.  We  are  happy  to  inform  you  that  the  Great 
Spirit  has  appointed  four  an  els  to  take  care  of  our 
nation ;  and  that  our  old  prophet  [meaning  the  far- 
famed  Seneca  prophet]  does  not  forget  to  visit  us 
once  in  awhile,  and  tell  us  what  to  do.  He  was  seen 
by  one  of  our  young  men  the  other  day,  and  he  told 
bim  wc  must  hold  our  great  feast  f'»r  him,  »vhich  we 


B  E  T  -^V  E  E  N  -  T  II  E  -  L  0  G  S . 


339 


Mont- 

coun* 
mdretl 
'  terri- 

it,  and 
seated 
)ine  in, 
onious. 
vas  oc- 
rincipal 
itation. 
;d,  with 
ook  our 
3 on  the 
e  chiefs 
^'er,  the 
and 
lir  head 

li'it  that 
in  this 
In  good 
|e  Great 
of  our 
the  far- 
visit  us 
[as  seen 
he  told 
Ihich  we 


have  done  these  last  four  days.  Now,  brothers,  we 
are  glad  you  have  come  again  to  see  us.  We  will 
hesir  what  you  have  to  say." 

Between-the-Logs  then  arose,  and,  after  returning 
his  grateful  acknowledgments  to  God  for  his  mercies, 
said,  "Dear  brothers,  we  have  long  had  a  desire  to 
sec  you,  and  to  speak  with  you.  But  we  have  not 
had  this  opportunity  till  now.  We  thought  that  as 
our  business  was  from  the  Lord,  we  would  come  on 
his  day,  appointed  from  the  beginning  of  this  world, 
on  which  to  worship  him.  We  expected  to  find  you 
at  your  homes,  or  in  some  good  employment,  on  this 
day  of  rest;  but  we  were  disappointed,  for  we  found 
many  of  you  playing  ball.  But  we  will  now  com- 
mence this  meeting  with  singing  and  prayer."  He 
then  commenced  singing  a  hymn  in  Wyandott,  upon 
which  many  were  so  offended  that  they  left  the  house; 
when  we  kneeled  down  to  pray,  some  of  them  raised 
the  Indian  yell,  and  before  he  was  done  praying,  few 
were  left  in  the  house,  except  the  cliicfs  and  women; 
but  when  he  commenced  his  speech  they  returned. 

lie  spoke  as  follows:  "Fathers  and  brethren,  from 
vou  I  came  out,  [for  the  father  of  Between-the-Logs 
was  a  Seneca;]  and  as  children  sometimes  may  find 
a  valuable  thing,  and  bring  it  and  show  it  to  their 
parents,  that  all  may  reap  the  benefit  of  it — so  I 
liave  found  a  most  valuable  treasure,  rich  in  a  great 
many  blessings,  and  blessings  that  you  all  need,  and 
can  not  get  any  where  else.  They  are  free,  because 
they  arc  as  abundant  as  the  water  of  your  river.     AIJ 


f  1 1 

It 


S40 


LIFE. -AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


may  go  and  drink,  and  wash  and  swim,  if  they  choose ; 
and  I  thought  that  it  was  my  duty  to  come  and  show 
you  this  rich  treasure — I  mean  the  religion  of  Jesus 
Christ.  This  religion  is  new  to  us,  but  it  is  not  new 
iu  this  world.  It  has  been  in  progress  many  hun- 
dred years,  and  the  Great  Spirit  h-aa  said  it  shall  go 
into  all  nations  before  it  shall  stop.  It  differs  from 
our  old  Indian  religion;  for  it  has  power  and  strength 
in  it,  and  it  is  like  the  cool  spring  water  to  the  thii'sty 
traveler.  It  makes  him  feel  good  all  over.  Especially 
it  affects  the  heart,  and  settles  it,  and  gives  us  a  solid 
peace  and  comfort.  It  is  strong — it  helps  the  men 
and  women  to  leave  oH'  all  their  Avicked  habits,  and 
especially  drunkenness.  You  know  that  our  people, 
the  Wyandotts,  were  almost  all  drunkards — men,  wo- 
men, and  children.  We  were  feasting,  and  dancing, 
and  drinking,  and  killing  one  another.  But  since  this 
religion  has  come  among  us,  we  are  reformed.  A 
great  many  of  us  now  live  soberly,  attend  meeting 
on  the  Sabbath,  and  pray  in  our  families.  Our  chil- 
dren have  become  tame,  and  are  learning  to  read 
God's  holy  word,  and  promise  to  be  useful  men  and 
women  to  our  nation. 

"Now,  you  know  that  our  old  Indian  religion  could 
do  nothing  like  this;  for  we  all  continued  to  get 
drunk,  and  persist  in  every  evil  practice.  Every 
thing  belonging  to  it  was  guess-work;  and  all  the 
revelation  which  we  ever  had,  was  made  by  some 
drunkard,  whom  nobody  believed  when  he  was  sober. 
Such   was   the  late   revelation   concerning   the  four 


SOUND    REASONING. 


^41 


angels  to  take  care  of  your  nation,  and  the  appear- 
ance of  your  old  Seneca  prophet.  This  is  all  guess- 
work, and  is  not  to  be  trusted;  for  you  and  I  both 
know  that  it  is  all  in  the  dark.  But  the  strength 
and  truth  of  religion  are  to  be  found  in  its  eftects. 
Has  your  religion  made  you  better  men  and  women? 
Do  you  not  feel  that  your  minds  are  yet  unsettled? 
And  do  you  not  fear  that  the  Great  Spirit  is  angry 
with  you,  and  that  he  will  punish  you  for  your  crimes? 
Now,  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  takes  all  this  away, 
and  it  makes  good  husbands,  good  wives,  good  chil- 
dren, and  good  neighbors.  It  can  be  felt  in  the  mind 
as  certainly  and  truly  as  cold  or  heat,  health  or  pain, 
sorrow  or  joy;  and  it  is  the  only  religion  that  can 
do  man  good."  He  exhorted  them  to  lay  hold  of 
it  now,  for  this  was  the  best  time. 

He  here  anticipated  some  of  their  objections,  and 
one  was:  "That  if  God  had  intended  them  to  be 
taught  by  that  book,  he  would  have  sent  it  to  themy 
and  learned  them  to  read  it.  It  was  sent,"  said  he, 
"to  all  nations,  and  if  they  were  a  nation,  they  must 
be  intended.  Many  of  the  white  nations  could  not 
read  it  when  it  first  came  to  them;  and  all  men  must 
learn  to  read  it,  for  no  man  was  born  with  that  power. 
Ail  the  whites  have  to  learn  to  read  it  to  this  day ; 
and  you  can  leirn  as  well  as  they.  Some  of  our 
children  have  already  learned  to  read  the  good  book. 
Your  children  also  can  learn.  Now  they  have  the 
opportunity,  and  if  they  refuse,  it  will  be  their  own 
fault.     If  they  are  now  lost,  it  will  be  your  own 


'  i 


342 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS 


M\ 


fault;   for  we  have  showed  you  this  great  treasure 
Do  not  dash  it  from  your  lips  and  perish." 

Next  brother  Hicks  arose  and  said,  "Brothers,  ] 
am  this  day  confused  and  astonished.  I  think  you 
ought  to  have  treated  us  with  more  respect;  for 
when  you  came  to  our  town  with  your  old  prophet, 
we  sat  down  and  heard  all  you  and  he  had  to  say 
with  patience.  Some  of  our  people  believed  him, 
and  joined  him,  thinking  all  he  said  was  true;  but  it 
turned  out  to  be  a  falsehood.  We  liave  now  come,  in 
our  turn,  to  you,  and  brought  our  preacher  with  us. 
He  is  able  to  explain  to  you  the  religion  of  the  good 
book.  All  we  have  to  say,  is  to  ask  for  him  the 
privilege  to  preach  one  time."  This  was  not  granted. 
However,  through  the  whole  course  of  these  exer- 
cises, there  was  an  unusual  degree  of  levity,  and 
some  disorder,  for  an  Indian  assembly;  such  as  1 
.never  saw  before  nor  since. 

Brother  Mononcue  noAv  rose  up,  and  with  thunder 
hanging  on  his  brow  and  countenance,  with  a  com- 
manding voice,  ordered  silence,  and  said,  "  When  you 
meet  to  worship  God,  and  to  hear  from  his  word, 
shut  up  your  mouths,  and  open  your  ears  to  hear 
what  is  said.  You  have  been  here  several  days  and 
nights,  worshiping  your  Indian  god,  who  has  no 
existence,  only  in  your  dark  and  beclouded  minds. 
You  have  been  burning  your  dogs  and  venison  for 
him  to  smell.  What  kind  of  a  god  or  spirit  is  he, 
that  can  be  delighted  with  the  smell  of  a  burnt  dog? 
Do  you  suppose  the  great  God  that  spread  out  the 


WORPS    OF    MONONCUE. 


843 


heavens — that  hung  up  the  sun  and  moon,  and  all  the 
(Stars  *o  make  light,  and  spread  out  this  vast  world  of 
land  and  water,  and  filled  it  with  men  and  beasts, 
and  every  thing  that  swims  or  flics,  is  pleased  with 
tlie  smell  of  your  burnt  dogs?  I  tell  you  to-day, 
that  his  great  eye  is  on  your  hearts,  and  not  on  your 
fires,  to  see  and  smell  what  you  are  burning.  Has 
your  worshiping  here  these  few  days  made  you  any 
better?  Do  you  feel  that  you  have  gotten  the  vic- 
tory over  one  evil?  No!  Yoii  have  not  taken  the 
first  step  to  do  better,  which  is  to  keep  this  day  holy. 
This  day  was  appointed,  by  God  himself,  a  day  of 
rest  for  all  men,  and  a  day  on  which  men  are  to  wor- 
ship him  with  pure  liearts,  and  to  come  before  him, 
that  he  may  examine  their  hearts,  and  cast  out  all 
their  evil.  This  day  is  appointed  for  his  ministers 
to  preach  to  us  Jesus,  and  to  teach  our  dark  and 
cloudy  minds,  and  to  bring  them  to  the  light." 

He  then  spoke  of  the  Savior,  and  his  dying  to 
redeem  the  world;  that  now  life  and  salvation  are 
freely  offered  to  all  that  will  forsake  sin  and  turn  to 
God.  He  adverted  to  the  judgment-day,  and  the 
awful  consequences  of  being  found  in  sin,  and  strang- 
ers to  God.  On  this  subject  ho  was  tremendously 
awful.  He  burst  into  tears;  lie  caught  the  handker- 
chief from  his  head,  and  wiped  them  from  his  eyes. 
Many  in  the  house  sat  as  if  they  were  petrified,  while 
others  wept  in  silence.  Many  of  the  females  drew 
their  blankets  over  their  faces  and  wept.  "Awful, 
awful  day  to  the  wicked!"  said  this  thundering  mm- 


544 


LIJ'E    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


ister.  "  Your  faces  will  look  much  blacker  with  your 
shame  and  guilt,  than  they  do  now  with  your  paint," 
I  have  no  doubt  but  God  was  with  Mononcue  on  this 
occasion,  and  that  many  were  convicted  of  sin  and  a 
judgment  to  come. 

The  head  chief  then  said  a  few  words.  •  ** 

Between-the-Logs  requested  them  to  give  us  an 
answer  on  this  great  and  important  subject,  but  not 
now.  Said  he,  "  If  you  do  give  it  now  it  will  be  a 
weak  one.  You  ought  to  study  it  well,  and  think 
seriously.  It  is  of  great  moment;  and  afterward  we 
will  hear  your  answer." 

The  head  chief  then  said,  "We  all  speak  one  word; 
that  is,  Ave  all  believe  in  our  old  Indian  religion.  But 
we  will  hold  a  council  on  your  words,  and  call  you 
again  to  this  place,  to  hear  our  reply."  All  the 
chiefs  then  came,  with  many  others,  and  shook  hands 
with  us ;  and  our  meeting  for  the  present  ended. 

When  we  first  entered  the  council-house,  I  saw 
sitting  among  the  chiefs  a  man  with  whom  I  had  been 
acquainted  twenty-five  years  before,  at  the  first  sct^ 
tllnic  of  the  Scioto  Vallcv,  in  1797.  I  told  the  inter- 
preter  that  I  could  make  him  remember  me  by  cir- 
cumstances that  he  could  not  well  have  forgotten 
My  father  and  others  had  lost  their  horses,  and  he 
was  employed  to  go  with  another  man  and  myself  to 
hunt  them.  We  had  not  proceeded  more  than  four 
miles  till  he  was  bit  by  a  rattlesnake  between  the 
heel  and  ankle,  his  leggin  not  being  tied  down  to 
bis  moccasin.     He  immediately  killed  the  snake,  and 


THE    RATTLESNAKE    ftOOt. 


S45 


i) 


then  went  a  few  stops  and  pulled  up  a  wetMl  resem- 
bling a  flax  stalk,  only  not  so  tall.  lie  took  the  root, 
and  chewed  and  swallowed  some  of  it.  The  rest  he 
applied  to  the  wound.  In  a  few  minutes  he  became 
very  sick,  and  began  to  vomit,  and-  throw  up  some- 
thing green  and  stringy,  like  poison.  He  then  made 
he  second  application,  and  the  third;  and  in  an  hour 
went  on  his  journey  without  any  difliculty.  Tlie  bite 
did  not  swell  more  than  if  he  had  been  stung  by  a 
wasp  or  bee.  This  lierb  has  a  yellow  root,  .about  the 
thickness  of  a  darning  needle.  The  stalk  is  single, 
about  nine  inches  long,  and  its  leaves  resemble  those 
of  the  flax  stalk.  As  soon  as  the  interpreter  told 
him  this  circumstance,  he  sat  and  looked  at  me  for 
some  time,  «and  at  last  came  and  shook  hands  with 
me,  saying,  "I  now  see  in  you  the  active  boy,  who 
was  our  companion  in  early  life,  all  of  which  I  well 
remember."     He  manifested  great  friendship  for  me. 

After  this  meeting  was  over,  we  returned  to  the 
agent's  house.  Brother  John  Hicks  said  to  me  on 
the  way,  "I  have  come  all  this  way  to  see  myself, 
or  what  I  once  was.  I  have  seen  it  in  these  poor 
Ser.ecas;  and  hate  myself,  and  my  former  life,  worse 
than  I  ever  did  before.  I  am,  however,  much  more 
determined  to  forsake  sin,  and  hold  fast  to  the  relig- 
ion of  Jesus  Christ  and  his  book." 

Between-the-Logs  remained  behind;  and  in  the 
evening  brought  with  him  one  of  the  chiefs,  my  old 
acquaintance,  Wiping-Stick.  From  that  time  till  late 
at   night,  these  chiefs   taught  him  Christ  and  him 


346 


LiFE    AMONG    THE    INDIAN'S. 


I    '    I 


crucifieil.  I  confirmed  all  they  taught  from  the  Bible. 
This  man  appeared  to  be  perfectly  convinced  of  the 
truth,  and  said  he  believed  it  was  truth;  and  left  us, 
weeping,  and  with  a  heavy  heart.  ? 

Between-the-Logs  told  us,  that  after  we  left,  a 
Seneca  chief  came  to  him  and  told  him  that  the  head 
chief  had  not  told  the  truth.  "For  he  said,  tha 
chiefs  all  speak  one  word,  and  believe  in  the  Indian 
god  and  religion.  I  do  not;  and  there  are  many 
others  that  do  not  believe  it.  We  believe  what  you 
say  is  true ;  and  we  want  you  to  tell  us  more,  that  we 
may  understand  it." 

Some  time  after  I  got  home,  I  received  a  letter 
from  the  agent,  stating  that  Wiping-Stick,  the  chief, 
believed  in  the  Christian  religion.  He  gave,  as  his 
opinion,  that  if  the  Wyandott  chiefs  would  repeat 
their  visits,  the  Senecas  would  yield,  and  embrace  the 
Gospel. 

We  frequently  visited  the  Delawares,  on  the  San- 
dusky river,  and  labored  with  them.  One  of  their 
chiefs,  and  some  other  individuals,  embraced  Christ 
and  him  crucified. 


B  B  T  W  K  E  N  -  T  II  E  -  L  0  0  &  '  S    f  E  S  T  I  M  0  N  y  .  847 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

BJSHOF   M'KENDREE    IN   THE    MISSION. 

On  the  20th  day  of  July,  1823,  we  hehl  our  quar- 
•crly  meeting  at  a  place  ]>reviously  prepared  in  the 
wood,  near  the  mission  house.  On  Saturday  about 
two  hundred  Indians  were  encamped  on  the  ground. 
We  commenced  our  meeting  without  much  prospect 
of  success.  On  the  morning  of  the  Sabbath,  at  8 
o'clock,  the  people  surrounded  llie  stand ;  and  I  read 
and  had  interpreted  the  fourth  chapter  of  tlie  first 
epistle  of  John.  We  then  bowed  before  the  throne 
of  God's  "lercy,  and  implored  his  blessing.  After 
the  bread  and  water  were  distributed,  we  commenced 
the  exercise  of  tellino;  what  Goa  liad  done  for  us. 
Among  the  rest,  brother  Between-the-Logs  also  arose, 
and,  with  a  countenance  beaming  Avith  joy,  spoke  in 
the  following  eloquent  strain,  which  had  an  astonish- 
ing effect  on  the  congregation  : 

"  My  brothers  and  sisters,  I  do  not  rise  this  morn- 
ing to  tell  you  the  feats  of  my  past  life  as  a  warrior 
or  hunter,  or  the  feats  of  my  ancestors;  but  I  rise  to 
tell  you  of  the  sweetness  of  religion,  and  the  un 
speakable  joy  I  feel  in  laboring  in  its  cause.  Ilerq, 
under  these  lofty  oaks — for  here  once  stood  an  Indian 
village — ;is  the  place  that  gave  me  bii*th.     They  are 


348 


LIFE    A  MO  NO    THE    INDI/.  JiS. 


0' 


Miir'v'iSi 


Hi 


\W.:'' ' 


11 


III 


my  fostering  parents;  for  beneath  their  lofty  and 
spreading  branches  I  spent  my  juvenile  years,  in  all 
the  vanities  and  follies  of  Indian  youth.  Among  the 
groves  of  the  forest  I  have  spent  the  whole  career  of 
my  life.  But  in  all  this  time,  I  was  ignorant  and  *n 
gross  darkness.  I  had  not  at  that  time  heard  the  name 
of  Jesus,  nor  did  my  tongue  learn  to  lisp  his  praise. 
My  mind  had  not  conceived  an  object  so  dear — a 
name  so  precious — the  sound  of  which  now  makes 
my  soul  expand,  and  war.js  my  heart  with  a  flame  of 
love.  Bretln-en,  my  feelings  overwhelm  me  at  this 
time — they  will  not  allow  me  to  say  much.  But  suffer 
me  to  add,  that  under  these  sliady  groves  I  am  de- 
termined to  finisl^  my  course,  hiborinor  m  the  cause 
of  my  divine  Master.  I  liumbly  confess  my  life  is 
not  perfect;  that  I  am  still  liable  to  er.-,  ar.d  feel  a 
proneness  to  evil.  But  I  desire  to  d  j  my  Master's 
will,  and  meet  vou  and  all  the  friends  of  Jesus  in  our 
Father's  home  above." 

This  was  truly  a  time  of  God'.'S  mercy.  The  whole 
assembly  were  overawed  by  the  power  and  glory  of 
God.  'Vbout  one  hundred  came  forward  to  the  com- 
munion table ;  and  there,  in  the  most  humble  and 
solemn  manner,  partook  of  the  emblems  of  Christ's 
body  and  blood.  The  heathen  party  stood  and  wept, 
while  they  looked  at  their  friends  thus  piously  making 
a  dedication  of  themselves  to  God.  At  night  we 
invited  tlie  mourners  to  come  forward,  and  be  prayed 
for.  Many  co'P.c,  and  with  strong  cries  and  pniyers 
pleaded  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ.    Some  experienced 


THE    INDIAN    SCHOOL. 


349 


salvation  through  his  name.  The  next  morning,  after 
breakfast,  the  trumpet  summoned  us  again  to  the 
place  of  prayer.  We  then  acuninistered  baptism  to 
tlie  new  converts,  and  some  infants.  Several  were 
admitted  on  trial;  and  after  an  exhortation,  wo  sep- 
arated, with  fresh  resolutions  to  try  to  live  more  for 
God  tlian  we  ever  had  done. 

This  was  a  season  never  to  be  forgotten.  Here, 
indeed,  the  wilderness  blossomed,  and  the  solittiry 
places  were  made  glad,  while  the  Spirit  of  God,  like 
a  well  of  living  water,  was  springing  up  in  every 
renewed  heart  unto  eternal  life.  The  work  was  car- 
ried on  in  the  prayer  and  class  meetings,  and  in 
private  families ;  so  that  in  almost  every  cabin  was 
heard  the  sound  of  prayer  and  thanksgiving.  Sin- 
ners were  concerted,  backsliders  reclaimed,  and  some 
that  had  grown  lukewarm   revived. 

It  will  now  be  expected  from  me  to  state  something 
of  the  school.  This  was  founded  on  the  system  of 
manual  labor ;  and  we  used  our  best  exertions  to  make 
it  accomplish  the  purposes  for  wliich  it  was  estab- 
lished. The  boys  that  were  old  and  large  enough, 
were  taught  the  art  of  farming,  and  the  girls,  house- 
work, sewii'g,  knitting,  spinning,  cooking,  etc.  For 
this  purpose,  as  well  as  for  order,  every  child  was  put 
in  a  class.  The  eighteen  oldest  boys  were  put  into 
six  classes  of  tluee  in  each.  Through  t'lc-  winter 
each  class  woi-kcd  one  day  in  every  week  on  the  farm, 
with  tlie  work-hands;  so  tliat  each  boy  worked  ono 
day  in  every  week,  besides  many  otlior  duties,  such 


850 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


I.  ) 


as  cutting  wood,  making  fires,  and  feeding  stock. 
The  smaller  boys  were  classed,  also,  and  had  to  carry 
water,  help  to  feed,  and  take  care  of  the  cows  and 
calves.  The  very  small  boys  were  employed  in  get- 
ting chips  for  the  fires.  The  girls  were  also  classed 
to  do  the  work  of  the  family,  with  a  white  girl  at  the 
head  of  their  class.  These  classes  changed  weekly, 
and  were  engaged  in  cooking,  washing,  sweeping  the 
house,  making  beds,  spinning,  knitting,  weaving,  and 
the  like.  All  knew,  in  the  morning,  without  being 
told,  what  was  their  employment  for  the  day,  and 
what  would  be  expected  from  them.  The  Indian 
boys  did  not  like  to  labor  at  first;  but  instead  of 
force,  stratagem  was  used.  When  I  went  out  to 
work,  I  almost  always  divided  the  hands  and  the 
work.  Then  I  had  no  difficulty,  for  each  would  do 
his  best  to  excel  the  others.  This  I  did  in  rollin"; 
logs  and  hoeing  corn.  We  had  now  about  sixty  in 
the  school. 

Bishop  M'Kendree  paid  us  a  visit  in  June,  1823, 
an  account  of  which  is  contained  in  the  Annual  Re- 
port of  the  Missionary  Society,  for  1824.  There  is 
also  one  fiom  Colonel  John  Johnston,  Indian  Agent, 
in  the  same  report. 

The  great  interest  taken  in  the  mission  and  school, 
by  this  wise  and  good  man,  was  most  manifest  in  the 
manner  in  which  he  accommodated  himself  to  the 
Indians  and  their  children.  It  was  the  season  when 
we  were  busil}^  engaged  in  cultivating  our  corn,  of 
which  we  had   about  fifty  acres ;  and  besides  three 


prsHOP  m'kendree's  report.      851 


plows,  we  could  furnish  twenty-one  hoes.  Never  did 
1  see  boys  more  elated  than  when  the  worthy  Bisliop 
took  up  his  hoe,  and  started  for  the  field,  saying, 
"  Boys,  come  on."  He  marched  before,  and  we  fol- 
lowed after  him.  When  we  got  out,  he  chose  his 
Indian  boy,  called  William  M'Kendree,  and  put  him 
on  the  row  next  to  himself,  that  he  might,  by  ex- 
ample, teach  him  to  work  within  bounds.  Never  did 
I  see  Bishop  M'Kendree  more  in  his  element  than 
when,  in  person,  he  was  teaching  those  Indian  boys 
to  work,  although  I  was  afraid  he  would  do  too  much. 
He  frequently  gave  them  lectures  on  the  economy  of 
human  life,  and  many  interesting  motives  he  set  before 
them  to  induce  them  to  be  religious  and  industrious. 

We  subjoin  Bishop  M'Kenaree's  account  of  his 
visit  to  the  mission.  It  was  dated  at  Chillicothe,  Au- 
gust 13,  1823,  find  addressed  to  Rev.  Thomas  Mason, 
then  the  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Missionary 
Society.     It  is  as  follows : 


lool, 
the 
the 
hen 
of 

iiree 


"Being  persuaded  that  I  could  render  more  ef- 
fectual service,  by  visiting  the  frontier  settlements  in 
the  western  country,  and  especially  the  Indian  mis- 
sion, than  by  continuing  my  tour  to  the  north,  I 
availed  myself  of  the  company  of  the  preachers  from 
tlie  Baltimore  conference,  who  were  going  west  of  the 
mountains,  and  accordingly  set  out  with  them,  having 
no  one  to  travel  with  me,  and  my  afflictions  render- 
ing it  improper  for  me  to  travel  alone.  , 

*'I   reached   the  state  of  Ohio  on  a  lame  horse. 


^mm^mmm^mmm 


352 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    rNDIAlJS. 


unfit  to  carry  me  farther.  ITowever,  a  worthy  friend, 
brother  John  Davenport,  of  Barncsville,  furnished  a 
horse,  took  the  expense  of  the  journey  on  himself, 
find  accompanied  me  to  the  mission  and  back  to  New 
Lancaster,  a  journey  of  about  three  weeks. 

"Our  missionary  establishmert  is  at  Upper  San- 
dusky, in  the  hirge  national  reserve  of  the  Wyandott 
tribe  of  Indians,  which  contains  one  hundred  and 
forty-seven  thousand,  eight  hundred  and  forty  acres 
of  land ,  being,  in  extent,  something  more  than  nine- 
teen miles  from  east  to  west,  and  twelve  miles  from 
north  to  south.  Througli  the  whole  extent  of  this 
tract  the  Sandusky  winds  its  course,  receiving  sev- 
eral beautiful  streams.  This  fine  tract,  with  another 
reservation  of  five  miles  square  at  the  Big  Spring, 
head  of  Blanchard's  liver,  is  all  the  soil  that  remains 
to  the  Wyandotts,  once  the  proprietors  of  an  exten- 
sive tract  of  country.  Tlie  mission  at  Upper  San- 
dusky is  about  sixty-five  or  seventy  miles  north  of 
Columbus,  the  seat  of  government  of  Ohio.  To  the 
old  Indian  boundary  line,  which  is  about  half  way. 
the  country  is  pretty  well  improved.  From  thence 
to  the  Wyandott  reserve,  the  population  is  thinly 
scattered,  the  lands  having  been  but  lately  surveyec' 
and  brought  into  market.  ' 

"On  Saturday,  the  21st  of  June,  about  ten  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  we  arrived  safe,  and  found  the  mis- 
Bion  family  and  the  school  all  in  good  health;  but 
was  much  fatigued  myself,  through  afliliction  and  warm 
weather,   /hich  was  quite  oppressive  to  me  in  crossing 


KEPORT    CONtlNUED. 


853 


of 
the 


lock 

mis- 

but 

■  arm 

sing 


over  the  celebrated  Sandusky  plains,  through  which 
the  road  lies.' 

"  In  the  afternoon  we  commenced  '^siting  the 
school:?,  and  repeated  our  visits  frequently  during  the 
five  days  which  we  staid  with  them.  These  visits 
were  highly  gratifying  to  us,  and  they  afforded  us 
an  opportunity  of  observing  the  behavior  of  the  chil- 
dren, both  in  and  out  of  school,  their  improvement 
in  learning,  and  the  whole  order  and  management 
of  the  school;  together  with  the  proficiency  of  the 
boys  in  agriculture,  and  of  the  girls  in  the  various 
domestic  arts.  They  are  sewing  and  spinning  hand- 
somely, and  would  be  weaving  if  they  had  looms. 
The  children  are  cleanly,  chaste  in  their  manners, 
kind  to  each  other,  peaceable  and  friendly  to  all. 
They  promptly  obey  orders,  and  do  their  work  cheer- 
fully, without  any  objection  or  murmur.  They  are 
regular  in  their  attendance  on  family  devotion  and 
the  public  worship  of  God,  and  sing  delightfully 
Their  proficiency  in  Icirning  was  gratifying  to  us, 
and  is  well  spoken  of  by  visitors.  If  they  do  not  suf- 
ficiently understand  what  they  read,  it  is  for  the  want 
of  suitable  books,  especially  a  translation  of  English 
words,  lessons,  hymns,  etc.,  into  their  own  tongue. 

"But  the  change  which  has  been  wrought  among 

the  adult  Indians,  is  wonderful!     This  people,  'that 

walked  in  darkness,  have  seen  a  great  light.     They 

that  dwelt  in  the  land  of  the  shadow  of  death,  upon 

them  hdth  the  light  shined.'     And  they  have  been 

'call , '  from  darkness  into  the  marvelous  light'  of  th« 

23 


mmmm 


11 


854 


LIFE    AMONG    THK    INDIANS. 


Gospel.  To  estimate  correctly  the  conversion  of  these 
Indians  from  heathenish  darkness,  it  should  be  re- 
membered that  the  Friends — or  Quakers — were  the 
first  to  prepare  them,  in  some  degree,  for  the  intro- 
duction of  the  Gospel,  by  patiently  continuing  to 
counsel  them,  and  to  afford  them  pecuniary  aid. 

"  The  first  successful  missionary  that  appeared 
among  them,  was  Mr.  Stewart,  a  colored  man,  and  a 
member  of  our  Church,  ^he  state  of  these  Indians 
is  thus  described  by  him  in  a  letter  to  a  friend,  dated 
in  June  last:  -^ 

"'The  situation  of  the  Wyandott  nation  of  In- 
dians, when  I  first  arrived  among  them,  near  six 
years  ago,  may  be  judged  of  from  their  manner  of 
living.  Some  of  their  houses  were  made  of  small 
poles,  and  covered  with  bark,  others  of  bark  alto- 
gether. Their  farms  contained  from  about  two  acres 
to  less  than  half  an  acre.  The  women  did  nearly 
all  the  work  that  was  done.  They  had  as  rnany  as 
two  plows  in  the  nation ;  but  these  were  seldom  used. 
In  a  word,  they  were  re  ally  in  a  savage  state.' 

"But  now  they  are  biilding  hewed  log-houses,  with 
brick  chimneys,  cultivating  their  lands,  and  success- 
fully adopting  the  various  agricultural  arts.  They 
now  manifest  a  relish  for,  and  begin  to  enjoy  the 
benefits  of,  civilization ;  and  it  is  probable  that  some 
of  them  will,  this  year,  raise  an  ample  support  for 
their  families  from  the  produce  of  their  farms. 

"There  are  more  than  two  hundred  of  them  who 
have  renounced  heathenism,  and  embraced  the  Chris- 


REPORT    CONTINUED. 


355 


5,  with 
[ccess- 

They 
)y  the 

some 
»rt  for 

vrho 
iChris- 


tian  religion,  giving  unequivocal  evidence  of  their  sin- 
cerity, and  of  the  reality  of  a  divine  change.  Our 
missionaries  have  taken  them  under  their  pastoral  care 
08  probationers  for  membership  in  our  Church;  and 
are  engaged  in  instructing  them  in  the  doctrine  and 
duties  of  our  holy  religion ;  though  the  various  duties 
of  the  missionaries  prevent  them  from  devoting  suffi- 
cient time  for  the  instruction  of  these  inquirers  after 
truth ;  but  the  Lord  hath  mercifully  provided  helpers 
in  the  conversion  of  several  of  the  interpreters,  and 
a  majority  of  the  chiefs  of  the  nation.  The  inter- 
preters, feeling  themselves  the  force  of  divine  truth, 
and  entering  more  readily  into  the  plan  (gi  the  Gos- 
pel, are  much  more  efficient  organs  for  communica- 
ting instruction  to  the  Indians.  Some  of  these  chiefs 
are  men  of  sound  judgment  and  strong,  penetrating 
minds ;  and  having  been  more  particularly  instructed, 
have  made  great  proficiency  in  the  knowledge  of  God 
and  of  divine  truth;  and  being  very  zealous,  they 
render  important  assistance  in  the  good  work.  The 
regularity  of  conduct,  the  solemnity  and  devotion  of 
this  people  in  time  of  divine  service,  of  which  I  wit- 
nessed a  pleasing  example,  is  rarely  excejeded  in  our 
own  worshiping  assemblies. 

,  "To  the  labors  and  influence  of  these  great  men, 
the  chiefs,  may  also,  in  some  degree,  be  attributed  the 
good  conduct  of  the  children  in  school.  Three  of  the 
chiefs  officiate  in  the  school,  as  a  committee  to  pre- 
serve good  order  and  obedience  among  the  children. 
I  am  informed  that  Between-the-Logs,  the  principal 


m  ii 


ml]"'  .i  'If 
i  i  1  kl'i'ii 


n:ii 


356 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


speaker,  has  lectured  the  school  children  in  a  ver\ 
able  and  impressive  manner,  on  the  design  and  benefit 
of  the  school,  attention  to  their  studies  and  obedience 
to  their  teachers.  This  excellent  man  is  also  a  very 
zealous  and  a  useful  preacher  of  righteousness.  He 
has,  in  conjunction  with  others  of  the  tribe,  lately 
visited  a  neighboring  nation,  and  met  with  encour- 
agement. 

"  On  the  third  day  after  our  arrival,  we  dined  with 
Between-the-Logs  and  about  twenty  of  their  princi- 
pal men,  six  of  whom  were  chiefs,  and  three  inter- 
preters; and  were  very  agreeably  and  comfortably 
entertained.  After  dinner  we  were  all  comfortably 
seated — a  few  of  us  on  benches,  the  rest  on  the 
grass,  under  a  pleasant  grove  of  shady  oaks,  and 
spent  about  two  hours  in  council.  I  requested  them 
to  give  us  their  views  of  the  state  of  the  school ;  to 
inform  us,  without  reserve,  of  any  objections  they 
might  have  to  the  order  and  management  thereof, 
and  to  suggest  any  alteration  they  might  wish.  I 
also  desired  to  know  how  their  nation  liked  our  re- 
ligion, and  how  those  who  had  embraced  it  were  pros- 
pering? 

"Their  reply  was  appropriate,  impressive,  and  dig- 
nified, embracing  distinctly  every  particular  inquiry, 
and  in  the  order  they  were  proposed  to  them.  The 
substance  of  their  reply  was,  that  they  thought  the 
school  was  in  a  good  state  and  very  prosperous ;  were 
perfectly  satisfied  with  its  order  and  management, 
pleased  with  the  superintendent   and  teachers,  and 


bishop's  report  continued.      357 


gratified  with  the  improvement  of  the  children.  It 
was  their  anxious  wish  for  its  permanence  and  suc- 
cess. They  gave  a  pleasing  account  of  those  who 
had  embraced  religion,  as  to  their  moral  conduct  and 
inoflfensive  behavior,  and  attention  to  their  religious 
duties.  They  heartily  approved  of  the  religion  they 
had  embraced,  and  were  very  highly  pleased  with  the 
great  and  efi'ectual  reformation  which  had  taken  place 
among  them. 

"  In  the  close  they  expressed  the  high  obligations 
they  were  under  to  all  their  kind  friends  and  bene- 
factors ;  and,  in  a  very  respectful  and  feeling  manner, 
thanked  their  visitors,  and  the  superintendent  and 
teachers,  for  their  kind  attention  to  themselves  and 
to  their  children;  -and  concluded  with  a  devout  wish 
for  the  prosperity  and  eternal  happiness  of  them  and 
all  their  kind  friends.  It  was  an  affecting  scene;  and 
tears  bespoke  their  sincerity.  - 

"  In  this  school  there  are  Indian  children  sent  to  it 
from  Canada.  Others,  which  were  lately  sent,  were 
detained  and  taken  into  another  school,  at  the  Rapids 
of  the  Maumee,  under  the  direction  of  the  Presby- 
terians. An  apology  was  written  by  the  superin- 
tendent thereof  to  ours,  stating  that  the  detention 
was  made  on  the  presumption  that  our  school  was 
full,  etc.    . 

"  When  we  reflect  upon  the  state  of  the  Wyandotts, 
compared  with  the^r  former  savage  condition,  we  may 
surely  exclaim,  '  What  hath  God  wrought !'  *  The 
parched  ground  hath  become  a  pool,  and  the  thirsty 


w^mmmm 


858 


LIFE    AMONU    THE    INDIANS. 


Mi  Ml 


\h  Ml 


land  springs  of  water ;  the  wilderness  and  the  solitary 
place  is  made  glad,  and  the  desert  blossoms  as  the 
rose.'  The  marks  of  a  genuine  work  of  grace  among 
these  sons  of  the  forest,  accords  so  perfectly  with  the 
history  of  the  great  revivals  of  religion  in  all  ages 
of  the  Church,  that  no  doubt  remains  of  its  being 
the  work  of  God. 

"  That  a  great  and  effectual  door  is  opened  on  our 
frontier,  for  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  to  the  In- 
dian nations  which  border  thereon,  and  that  we  are 
providentially  called  to  the  work,  I  have  no  doubt. 
The  only  question  is:  are  we  prepared  to  obey  the 
call?  The  success  of  our  missionary  labors  does  not 
depend  on  the  interference  of  miraculous  power,  as 
in  the  case  of  the  apostles,  but  '  the  ordinary  oper- 
ations and  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  through  the 
instrumentality  of  a  Gospel  ministry,  supported  by 
the  liberality  of  a  generous  people. 

"We  have  lately  received  an  invitation  from  a  dis- 
tinguished oflBcer  of  the  Government,  to  extend  our 
missionary  labors  to  a  distant  nation  of  Indians.  A 
gentleman  of  this  state — the  late  Governor  Worthing- 
ton — who  has  visited  New  Orleans,  has  taken  a  deep 
interest  in  its  favor ;  and  from  the  great  increase  of 
population  from  other  states,  and  the  great  proba- 
bility of  doing  good  at  least  among  them,  he  urges 
another  attempt.  And  from  his  influence,  his  ability 
and  disposition  to  minister  to  its  support,  we  enter- 
tain a  hope  of  success. 

"From  a  general  view  of   our   missions,  and  of 


LETTER    OF     MR.    J  0  II  N  S  T  0  X . 


359 


what  the  Lord  is  doing  by  us,  wo  certainly  have 
ubundant  cause  to  'thank  God  and  take  courage/ 
and  to  persevere  most  faithfully  and  diligently  in 
the  great  work;  looking  to  the  great  Head  of  the 
Church,  that  he  may  bless  our  labors  and  crown 
thorn  with  success." 

The  following  letter  from  Mr.  Johnston,  the  Indian 
agent,  addressed  to  Bishop  M'Kendree,  represents 
the  condition  and  prospects  of  the  mission  at  this 
period.  It  is  dated  at  Upper  Sandusky,  August  23, 
1823.     He  says:  .  . 


"I  have  just  closed  a  visit  of  several  days  in  at- 
tending to  the  state  of  the  Indians  at  this  place,  and 
have  had  frequent  opportunities  of  examining  the 
progress  and  condition  of  the  school  and  mission, 
under  the  management  of  the  Rev.  James  B.  Finley. 
The  buildings  and  improvements  of  the  establishment 
are  substantial  and  extensive,  and  do  this  gentleman 
great  credit.  The  farm  is  under  excellent  fence,  and 
in  goo  .  order;  comprising  about  one  hundred  and 
forty  acres  in  pasture,  corn,  and  vegetables.  Thero 
are  about  fifty  acres  in  corn,  which,  from  present 
appearances,  will  yield  three  thousand  bushels.  It 
is  by  much  the  finest  crop  I  have  seen  this  year; 
has  been  well  worked,  and  is  clear  of  grass  and 
weeds.  There  are  twelve  acres  in  potatoes,  cab- 
bages, turnips,  and  garden.  Sixty  children  belong 
to  the  school,  of   which  number  fifty-one    arc    In- 


860 


LIFE    AMONa    TUB    INDIANS. 


lii 


dians.  These  children  are  boarded  and  lodged  at 
the.  mission  house;  they  are  orderly  and  attentive, 
comprising  every  class,  from  the  alphabet  to  readers 
in  the  Bible.  I  am  told  by  the  teacher,  that  they  are 
apt  in  learning,  and  that  he  is  entirely  satisfied  with 
the  progress  they  have  made.  They  attend  with  the 
family  regularly  to  the  duties  of  religion.  The  meet- 
ing-house on  the  Sabbath  is  numerously  and  devoutly 
attended.  A  better  congregation  in  behavior  I  have 
not  beheld;  and  I  believe  there  can  be  no  doubt,  that 
there  are  very  many  persons,  of  both  sexes,  in  the 
Wyandott  nation,  who  have  experienced  the  saving 
effects  of  the  Gospel  upon  their  minds.  Many  of  the 
Indians  are  now  settling  on  farms,  and  have  comfort- 
able houses  and  large  fields.  A  spirit  of  order,  in- 
dustry, and  improvement,  appears  to  prevail  with  that 
part  of  the  nation  which  has  embraced  Christianity, 
and  this  constitutes  a  full  half  of  the  whole  popu- 
lation. 

"  I  do  not  pretend  to  offer  an  opinion  here  on  the 
practicability  of  civilizing  the  Indians  under  the  pres- 
ent arrangements  of  the  government;  but  having 
spent  a  considerable  portion  of  my  life  in  managing 
this  description  of  people,  I  am  free  to  declare  that 
the  prospect  of  success  here  is  greater  than  I  have 
ever  before  witnessed;  that  this  mission  is  ably  and 
faithfully  conducted,  and  has  the  strongest  claims 
upon  the  countenance  and  support  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  as  well  as  the  Christian  public  at  large. 

"I  am  authorized  and  requested  by  this  nation  in 


LETTER    CONCLUDED. 


361 


council  to  present  to  tlio  conference,  and  tlirough 
tbem,  to  the  members  of  the  Church,  their  thanks 
for  the  aid  and  assistance  rendered  unto  them,  hy 
the  mission  family,  in  their  spiritual  and  temporal 
affairs.  From  personal  observation,  together  with 
the  opinion  of  the  sub-agent  imd  interpreters,  I  am 
induced  to  request  that  the  conference  will  be  pleased 
to  continue  Mr.  Finley  and  famil}'  in  the  superintend- 
ence of  the  school  and  mission.  Let  it  not  be  be- 
lieved that  I  make  this  request  from  any  partiality, 
favor,  or  affection.  It  nrises  from  a  conviction  of 
his  qualifications  for  the  duty." 


The  Bishop  spent  part  of  his  time  in  visiting  the 
Indians  at  their  houses,  instructing  them,  and  inquir- 
ing into  their  spiritual  and  temporal  affairs.  Tly  these 
means  he  made  himself  acquainted  with  the  state  of 
the  mission,  and  was  the  better  abl*^  to  give  advice 
concerning  what  was  best  to  be  done.  He  also  en- 
deared himself  to  the  Indian  families,  by  eating  at 
their  tables,  and  conversing  with  them  on  experi- 
mental religion  and  their  progress  in  godliness. 

On  one  occasion,  in  conversing  with  one  of  them, 

the  Bishop  asked,  "Have  you  any  temptations  to  go 

back  to  your  former  course  of  life?''     The  answer 

was,    "Yes,  I   have   many:    both   from  within   and 

without.     Often  the  devil  throws  many  in  my  way, 

but  I  resist  them  by  praying  to  God.     A  few  weeks 

ago,  just  as  I  was  starting  for  meeting,  a  large  hawk 

came  and  made  an  attack  on  my  chickens.     I  took 

31 


862 


L I F  K    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


down  my  gun  to  shoot  him,  but  remembered  that  it 
was  the  Sabbath,  and  that  if  I  shot  him  it  would,  be 
a  bad  example.  I  then  took  my  bow  and  arrow,  and 
shot  him.  The  next  Sabbath,  another  hawk  came  in 
the  same  way,  and  I  killed  him  likewise.  The  third 
Sabbath  the  devil  sent  a  third  one,  and  I  began  to 
think  that  it  might  be  a  temptation  to  break  the  Sab- 
bath. So  I  let  that  one  alone,  and  there  has  been 
none  since.  I  found  it  was  no  matter  what  means 
the  devil  employed,  provided  he  can  but  get  us  to  do 
wrong." 

On  another  occasion,  the  Bishop  asked  him  how  he 
obtained  religion.  "Why,"  said  the  Indian  brother, 
"  I  always  thought  I  ha^^  religion  till  I  went  to  hear 
the  m^^sionary  preach,  and  his  words  made  me  very 
uneasy  in  my  heart.  But  he  told  us  »ye  must  pray 
to  the  *  Great  Spirit'  for  help,  and  not  rest  till  we 
felt  that  our  hearts  were  made  happy.  When  I  came 
home  I  sat  down  in  my  house,  and  thought,  if  I  die, 
where  shall  I  /:o?  My  heart  got  very  sick,  and  then 
1  went  into  the  woods  and  prayed  to  God  for  help. 

m 

All  at  once  my  heart  got  easy;  I  felt  no  pain,  and 
I  found  out  what  was  the  maiter.  My  heart  was 
hungry,  and  when  it  was  fed  it  got  quiet,  just  like 
a  little  child.  I  then  went  home  and  sat  down,  and 
said  to  my  heart,  'You  will  not  get  hungry  soon.' 
But  it  was  not  a  long  time  till  I  felt  bad  again.  I 
then  went  to  the  same  place,  and  prayed  for  God  to 
feed  my  poor  hungry  heart  again.  He  did  so,  ani'  1 
•  went  away  easy ;  but  it  soon  became  hungry  again. 


THE    TRUE    CIVILIZATION. 


863 


I  went  back,  as  before,  and  said,  *I  have  the  most 
hungry  heart  of  any  man;'  but  thanks  to  the  Great 
Spirit,  he  feeds  it  for  nothing  whenever  I  go  to  him. 
He  makes  me  happy,  and  feeds  my  heart  whenever 
it  wants  to  eat;  and  I  find  I  grow  stronger  and 
stronger.  At  first  I  could  take  but  little  milk ;  but 
now  I  can  take  both  milk  and  meat,  so  that  I  hope 
at  last  to  get  to  heaven." 

Another  one  being  asked  how  ins  religion  wore, 
replied,  "  Why,  brother,  religion  wears  better  than 
my  coat,  end  is  made  of  more  lasting  stuflf:  for  my 
coat  wears  out,  and  gets  into  holes ;  but  the  longer  I 
wear  religion  the  better  it  is.  It  gets  thicker,  warmer, 
and  stronger,  and  I  think  it  will  last  me  through  this 
world  of  sin  and  trouble,  and  help  me  into  a  better 
one  than  this." 

Thit:  was  a  very  prosperous  year  for  the  missionary 
establi.-ihment,  and  fully  proved  that  our  present  plan 
was  the  most  successful  one  in  bringing  these  people 
of  the  forest  to  a  state  of  civilization.  The  theory  of 
past  years  was,  that  the  Indians  could  not  be  Chris- 
tianized till  they  were  civilized,  and  that  they  must 
first  be  taught  the  art  of  agriculture,  and  be  brought 
to  its  habits,  before  it  is  of  any  use  to  try  to  teach 
them  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  Biit  all 
attempts  of  this  kind  have  failed;  for  after  all  the  ex- 
pense of  labor  and  money,  which  is  not  a  little,  they 
remained  savage  still;  but  let  an  Indian  be  converted 
to  God,  and  then  he  is  civilized.  There  is  nottiin^^ 
that  can  civilize  a  man  but  religion  and  its  influence. 


Vf 


IMl 


tl 


^] 


'^^  '1 


864 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


So  far  as  my  experience  has  gone  in  tliis  matter,  it 
leads  me  to  believe  that  there  is  as  much  encourage- 
ment to  preach  the  Gospel  to  Indians,  as  to  a  people 
that  have  sat  under  its  sound,  and  have  rejected  its 
offers,  and  refused  to  obey  its  precepts;  for  when  the 
Indian  has  been  brought  to  feel  and  experience  the 
benefits  of  the  grace  of  God  in  conversion,  he  is,  in 
general,  as  faithful  and  conscientious  in  his  obedience 
to  its  precepts  as  white  men  are,  and  much  more  do- 
cile and  peaceable.     The  only  important  difficulty  in 
making  all   Indian  missions  successful,  will   be  the 
want  of  proper  and  easy  means  of  communicating 
instruction.     We  want  an  interpreter  of   their  lan- 
guage,  fully    capable    of    translating    from    ours    to 
theirs,  which  want  is  the  greatest  obstruction  to  the 
universal  spread  of  the  Gospel  among  the  American 
Indians.     The  proof  of  this  is  fuily  given  in  the  ex- 
tensive revivals  of  religion  among  them  at  Sandusky. 
White  men  have  done  more  to  prevent  the  conversion 
of  the  Indian  nations  than  all  their  habits,  or  igno- 
rance, or  prejudice   have   done.      The   influence  of 
traders    and    agents    has    been,   in    many   instances, 
exerted  against  their  becoming  Christians,  or  even 
adopting  the  habits  of  civilization,  for  fear  of  losing 
their  source  of  gain.  '  '■ 

I  once  heard  an  agent  of  the  Government  trying 
to  persuade  the  Wyandotts  to  sell  their  homes.  He 
told  them  how  much  their  great  father,  tlie  President, 
loved  them,  and  wliat  he  would  do  for  them,  if  they 
would  bu:  consent  to  sell  or  exchange  their  land  for 


THE    CHIEF    TO    THE    AGENT. 


365 


land  west  of  the  Mississippi;  that  he  avouW  give  them 
land  which  the  white  men  would  not  want,  and  thesi 
he  would  spread  a  belt  of  land  sixty  miles  Avide, 
between  them  and  the  white  men,  so  that  they  should 
never  come  over  to  them;  and  that  he  would  move 
them  to  it,  and  it  should  be  theirs  forever.  One  of 
our  chiefs,  who  had  been  accustomed  to  these  fair 
promises,  told  him  that  he  did  not  believe  any  thing 
the  President  said,  for  he  had  told  them  so  many 
lies  already.  "He  promised  the  same  thing  to  us 
at  oiir  last  treaty;  that  if  we  woula  sell  all  but  this 
reservation,  ho  vrould  protect  us  from  the  encroach- 
ments of  the  whites,  and  keep  us  in  peace,  and  never 
ask  us  to  sell  another  foot  of  our  land.  Tb!s  was  not 
ten  years  ago;  and  now  you  are  at  your  old  trade 
of  trying  to  drive  us  away  again.  Besides,  it  would 
be  no  better  if  we  were  yonder;  for  there  is  no  land 
or  swamp  so  poor,  but  white  men  will  want  it;  and  if 
the  President  did  not  fulfill  his  word  here,  will  he  do 
it  yonder?  No!  You  white  men  never  will  be  satis- 
fied till  the  blue  water  of  the  great  lakes,  in  which 
the  sun  sets,  has  drank  the  last  drop  of  Indian  blood. 
Here  are  our  homes;  and  we  are  now  beginning  to 
live  comfortably.  The  Lord  has  begun  a  good  work 
among  us.  Our  children  are  learning  to  read,  and 
we  hope  will  make  good  men.  Here,  too,  are  the 
graves  and  bones  of  our  fathers,  our  wives,  and  our 
children;  and  we  may  as  well  die  and  be  buried  with 
thera,  as  to  go  back  into  the  woods,  and  again  sink 
into  savage  life,  from  which  we  have  emerged  a  little. 


^^^fmmim^^^ 


366 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


t:  I  ■ 


The  half  of  our  -weakly  women  and  sickly  old  folka 
would  die  on  the  road;  and  we  should  have  to  bury 
them  before  we  could  reach  the  new  country.  Then 
we  should  be  without  food,  for  there  is  not  much 
game;  and  we  should  nearly  all  perish." 

The  expense  of  the  mission  this  year  was  sustained 
partly  by  the  Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  the  balance  was  made  up  by 
the  Philadelphia  Missionary  Society,  and  other  socie- 
ties, and  individual  collections.  The  total  amount  of 
expenditures  this  year,  including  improvements  on 
the  farm,  the  payment  of  missionaries,  and  all  the 
expense  of  clothing  and  feeding  between  fifty  and 
sixty  children,  was  two  thousand  and  two  hundred 
and  fifty-four  dollars  and  fifty-four  cents.  The  total 
received  was  two  thousand,  one  hundred  and  sixty 
dollars  and  seventy-six  cents;  leaving  a  deficiency 
of  ninety-three  dollars  and  sixty-eight  cents. 

This  year  I  m?^de  application  to  the  Secretary  of 
War,  for  an  appropriation  of  part  of  the  sum  of  ten 
thousand  dollars,  put  at  his  disposal  by  Congress  for 
the  improvement  of  the  Indians,  and  received  an 
order  to  draw  on  him  for  five  hundred  dollars,  in 
quarterly  installments,  to  be  applied  to  the  benefit 
of  the  school;  but  no  part  of  it  was  received  for  this 
year's  appropriation.  DiflBculties  sometimes  arose 
from  the  want  of  civil  regulations  to  adjust  diffi- 
culties, and  to  give  every  man  his  due.  In  order  to 
prevent  disputes  about  their  cattk  and  hogs,  I  pro- 
jiosed  to  make  a  book,  and  keep  a  record  of  all  their 


rs,  m 
mefit 

this 

irose 

diffi- 

ler  to 

pro- 
Itlu'ir 


THE    NATIONAL    BRAND. 


3G7 


ear-marks.  This  heing  agreed  to  in  council,  they 
brought  their  ear-marks,  and  I  recorded  them  in  the 
book  of  record. 

Much  trouble  arose  from  the  straying  of  their 
horses.  Many  were  stolen,  also,  and  it  was  difficult 
to  prove  them,  as  an  Indian  was  not  allowed,  by  his 
oath  or  affirmation,  to  prove  his  own  horse,  when 
either  strayed  or  stolen ;  so  that  they  suffered  great 
inconvenience  and  loss  of  property.  The  laws  of  the 
United  States  forbade  any  person  to  buy  an  Indian 
horse  without  the  consent  of  the  Indian  agent.  But 
the  difficulty  was  to  prove  that  it  was  an  Indian  horse. 
To  remedy  this,  I  proposed  to  the  council  that  they 
should  have  a  national  brand;  that  every  Indian 
horse  should  be  branded  with  it,  and  this  would 
prove,  without  any  other  evidence,  that  the  horse 
bearing  it  was  theirs.  So  they  adopted  as  their 
brand  a  large  "0,"  with  a  "W"  in  the  middle  of  it, 
which  brand  was  made  upon  the  left  hip.  This  was 
advertised  in  all  the  papers  near,  as  the  national 
brand  of  the  Wyandotts.  This  was  a  great  relief, 
for  we  could  tell  a  Wyandott  horse  wherever  he  was 
seen;  and  if  any  one  traded  with  an  Indian  for  a 
horse  without  the  certificate  of  the  agent,  he  made 
himself  liable  to  a  prosecution  in  the  United  States 
District  Court. 

I  then  proposed  to  the  council  to  have  a  journal 
kept  of  their  acts  in  council,  an.d  published  to  the 
nation.  To  this  they  also  agreed.  I  kept  this  jour- 
nal for  every  council  which  I  attended  in   person. 


308 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


I  I.  :    '      #r 


This  I  thought  would  be  the  means  of  introdacing 
something  like  rule  and  law  among  them,  and  of 
teaching  them  the  notion  of  government.  A  book 
was  also  kept  for  the  record  of  marriages. 

It  was  not  long  after  the  introduction  of  these 
regulations,  till  a  woman  and  her  husband  fell  out 
and  parted.  She  was  not  a  member  of  the  Church, 
and  soon  took  up  with  another  man,  according  to  the 
former  Indian  usage;  but  as  the  deserted  husband 
belonged  to  the  Church,  I  was  called  on  to  know 
what  he  must  do — whether  he  must  remain  without  a 
wife,  or  have  the  privilege  of  marrying  again.  I  now 
saw  this  was  the  time  to  take  a  stand  against  their 
old  Indian  habits;  and  also  to  do  justice  to  the  in- 
jured person.  Therefore,  I  called  a  council  of  all 
the  chiefs,  leaders,  and  official  men  in  the  Church, 
and  others  who  were  in  good  standing  in  the  nation, 
and  laid  the  case  of  young  Punch — for  that  was  his 
name — before  them.  I  then  took  my  Bible,  and 
showed  them  that  marriage  was  appointed  by  God; 
that  a  man  should  have  but  one  wife,  and  they  were 
bound  by  the  law  of  God  to  live  together  till  death 
parted  them.  I  then  gave  the  reasons  for  this  law: 
1.  It  was  for  their  own  good,  because  a  number  of 
wives  would  create  jealousy  and  cause  quarrels.  2. 
For  the  purpose  of  raising  their  families,  the  helpless 
children  being  dependent  on  their  parents ;  and  God 
saw  that,  for  this  purpose,  it  was  best  for  man  to  have 
but  one  wife.  3.  For  the  good  of  society.  I  showed 
also  that  there  was  but  one  crime  for  which  a  man 


i'^   ::i':| 


ADULTERY    AND    DIVORCE. 


369 


coulil  put  avvay  his  wife  Avitli  the  approbation  of  God, 
or  a  woman  her  husband;  and  that  crime  was  adul- 
tery. I  told  them,  as  this  was  the  first  case  of  the 
kind  that  had  occurred,  it  was  best  for  us  to  make 
a  proper  rule  by  which  all  future  cases  might  be 
determined.  My  advice  was,  that  the  chiefs  and 
leade  -  of  ihe  Church  should  appoint  a  day,  to  hear 
this  young  man  in  his  complaint  against  his  wife; 
and  that  she  should  be  notified  to  appear  and  defend 
herself  against  the  crimes  charged  upon  her,  in  the 
presence  of  the  council;  and  if  he  should  prove  that 
his  wife  had  committed  adultery,  or  had  gone  off 
with  another  man,  and  lived  with  him,  they  should 
give  him  a  written  certificate  that  he  was  free  from 
his  marriage  contract,  and  that  he  might  marry  again; 
but  that  neither  she,  nor  the  man  with  Avhom  she 
lived,  could  have  any  privileges  in  the  Church,  or  be 
lawfully  married  by  any  minister  in  the  Church,  for 
the  Scriptures  forbid  it;  and  unless  she  separated 
from  him  and  all  other  men,  and  repented  of  the 
former  crime,  she  and  her  paramour  must  be  lost 
forever;  for  his  guilt  was  condemned  in  the  same 
way,  as  the  word  of  God  expressly  says  that  none 
such  shall  enter  the  kino;dom  of  heaven.  The  sul- 
jcct  being  new,  was  entered  upon  with  care  and  close 
examination.  But  after  they  had  consulted  the  word 
of  God  on  the  matter,  they  agreed  that  it  was  just 
and  light.  They  proceeded  and  examined  the  case, 
founi  the  young  woman  guilty,  and  granted  the  young 

man  a  divorce. 

24 


370 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


This  circuinstiince  was  of  much  benefit  to  the  mar- 
riage institution.  The  woman  afterward  made  apph- 
cation  to  be  married,  but  was  refused;  and  tlien  to 
join  the  Church,  but  was  also  refused.  This  was  the 
only  divorce  that  was  granted,  there  being  no  other 
applications  luring  my  stay  with  them. 

For  the  purpose  of  showing  their  views  and  pro- 
ceedings in  the  council  for  governing  their  people,  I 
will  give  the  following  transcript  of  the  Journal  of 
the  Council,  as  it  now  lies  before  me : 


m. 


mm 


11 'T 


"At  a  council  of  the  chiefs  of  the  Wyandott  na- 
tion, held  May  2d,  1825.  Present,  Warpole,  Be- 
tween-the-Logs,  John  Ilicks,  Mononcue,  Peacock,  and 
George  Punch. 

"  A  request  was  made  to  the  chiefs,  by  many  ol 
tlie  men  of  the  nation,  to  have  seventy  thousand 
bricks  made,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  those  who 
wish  to  build  good  houses  and  chimneys,  the  oppor- 
tunity of  doing  so ;  and  after  taking  the  subject  under 
consideration,  it  was 

"1.  Resolved,  hy  the  Chiefs  in  Council,  That  J.  B. 
Finley  be  authorized  to  employ  some  person  to  make 
and  burn  seventy  thousand  bricks:  Provided,  he  can 
have  them  made  at  a  cost  not  exceeding  three  dollars 
per  thousand,  in  the  kiln. 

"  2.  Resolved,  That  J.  B.  Finley  is  Hereby  author- 
ized to  make  the  best  contract  he  can  with  some  com- 
petent person,  to  attend  the  Indian  mills  for  two 
years:    Provided,   the   expenr?  of   wages   shall   ret 


LAW    AGAINST    INTEMPERANCE.        371 


J.  B. 

Imake 

ie  can 
loUars 

itlior- 
cotn- 

ll   net 


exceed  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  doHars  per 
year. 

"3.  Resolved,  hy  the  Chiefs  in  Council,  That  we 
will  not  divide  our  annuities  to  any  one  that  is  less 
than  quarter  blood  Wyandott. 

"4.  Resolved,  hy  the  Chiefs  of  the  Wyandott  Nation 
in  Council,  That,  whereas,  sonje  of  our  people  arc 
still  in  the  practice  of  getting  drunk,  and  the  lives  of 
some  of  our  white  neighbors  have  been  put  in  jeop- 
ardy, as  well  as  the  lives  of  our  own  people :  There- 
fore, to  put  a  stop  to  this  great  evil,  we  are  resolved, 
after  the  full  publication  of  this  resolution,  that  if 
any  person,  belonging  to  this  nation,  shall  be  found 
in  a  state  of  intoxication,  and  shall  put  tho  life  of 
any  person  in  jeopardy,  or  shall  draw  any  unlawful 
weapon  on  them,  or  threaten,  or  disturb  any  family, 
or  any  individual,  upon  the  complaint  of  such  injured 
person,  and  proof  of  the  fact,  the  person  so  offending 
shall  forfeit  his  share  of  the  annuities,  or  any  part 
thereof,  as  the  council  may  direct  or  think  proper,  or 
shall  receive  such  other  punishment  as  their  crime 
may  deserve;  and  the  money  so  forfeited  shall  go 
into  the  public  fund  of  the  nation." 

These  are  some  of  the  first  regulations  entered 
into  by  the  chiefs,  and  they  were  approved  of  by  the 
letter  part  of  the  nation;  but  some  of  the  drunken, 
savage  party,  made  strong  objections  to  them,  be- 
cause they  were  like  the  white  man's  laws,  ind  did 
not  suit  Indians.     I  was  present  when  this  last  regu- 


%\ 


I'H 


872 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


lution  was  made  public.  The  cause  that  produced 
tliis  regulation,  as  stated  by  the  chief,  was  this:  One 
of  their  young  men  became  intuNicated,  and  com- 
mitted some  depredations  on  a  white  family,  on  the 
Maumee  river,  and  stole  a  horse,  which  they  made 
him  give  up,  and  pay  the  damages.  The  chiefs  in- 
sisted that  if  they  did  not  do  something  to  prevent 
these  things,  the  whites  would  put  their  laws  in  force, 
and  then  they  would  have  to  go  to  the  penitentiary, 
or  be  hung ;  and  that  it  was  best  for  them  to  try  and 
prevent  such  evils,  by  taking  the  laws  into  their  own 
hands. 

The  labors  of  this  year,  and  the  improvement  made 
in  this  nation,  both  in  a  temporal  and  moral  point  of 
view,  clearly  proved  that  Christianity  must  always 
precede  civilization ;  and  the  great  question,  "  Can 
the  aboriginals  of  this  country  be  civilized?"  was 
pretty  well  settled ;  for  surely  no  people  ever  made 
greater  advances,  in  the  same  length  of  time.  A 
spirit  of  industry,  and  laudable  emulation  to  build 
good  houses,  and  improve  their  farms,  and  to  increase 
their  stock,  seemed  to  prevail,  through  the  nation. 
Several  good  hewed  log-houses,  with  shingled  roofs 
and  brick  chimneys,  were  erected  this  season ;  and 
the  habit  of  drinking  spirits  was  very  much  dimin- 
ished. Peace,  with  her  balmy  wings,  seemed  to  hover 
over  this  once  sunken  and  ruined  people.  The  influ- 
ence of  religion  never  was  more  clearly  seen  in  all 
its  saving  influence,  and  the  God  of  Jacob  seemed  to* 
dwell  again  in  the  tents  of  Israel.     Those  very  In- 


THE    BLISSFUL    C  II  A  X  (}  E  . 


j]7n 


dians,  who  were  considered  the  outcustsj  of  tlie  earth, 
who  lived  in  the  benighted  forest,  where  superstition, 
ignorance,  and  heathen  barbarity,  have,  from  time 
immemorial,  held  their  gloomy  swny — these  have  seen 
the  light  of  the  Sun  of  righteousness.  They  hear 
and  bless  the  name  of  Jesus,  so  precious  to  all  be- 
lievers.  Here  is  a  small  cloud  of  witnesses  that  God 
has  power  on  earth  to  forgive  sins.  See  the  man  of 
the  forest,  who,  but  a  short  time  since,  was  sacrificing 
his  dogs,  venison,  corn,  tobacco,  etc.,  now  preaching 
Jesus  and  the  resurrection.  Hear  him  teaching  his 
children  to  pray,  and  love  God,  and  all  men;  and  see 
the  altar  of  family  prayer  erected  in  almost  every 
cabin  and  wigwam. 

We  found  in  the  Indian  character  a  great  sense  of 
independence,  and  a  strong  opposition  to  any  thing 
that  looked  like  slavery  or  subjugation.  They  glory 
in  their  native  liberty;  and  for  a  person  to  show  any 
thing  like  a  feeling  of  superiority,  was  the  most  ef- 
fectual way  to  bar  all  access  to  them.  The  prin- 
ciple is  even  cultivated  and  strongly  felt  in  their 
children.  They  seldom  use  corporeal  punishment, 
believing  it  to  be  too  great  a  degradation ;  and  those 
that  patiently  submit  to  it  are  counted  no  better  than 
a  dog.  When  they  chastise  their  children,  they  most 
generally  dip  them  in  the  water,  or  else  pour  water 
on  them  till  they  submit.  All  the  time  I  had  the 
charge  of  these  children  I  never  used  the  rod  but 
once.  Otiie-i  differed  from  me  in  their  method  of 
governing   by  chastising  with  the  rod;  but  I  believe 


vis. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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33  WIST  MAIN  STRIET 

WMSTU.N.Y.  MSM 

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374 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


it  never  had  any  good  effect.  I  used  to  take  them  by 
themselves,  with  the  interpreter,  and  set  before  them 
their  crime ;  tell  them  how  much  it  grieved  me,  and 
their  parents,  and  teacher,  to  see  them  so  bad ;  that 
their  course  of  conduct  would  always  have  a  tendency 
to  make  their  good  comrades  think  less  of  them, 
and  the  nation  would  hold  them  in  contempt;  that 
when  they  grew  up  to  be  men  and  women,  they  would 
be  thought  nothing  of,  but  always  be  treated  as  Taga- 
bonds;  and  that  if  they  continued  to  disobey,  I 
should  be  under  the  necessity  of  calling  the  school 
committee  together,  and  laying  their  cases  before 
them,  they  having  the  full  power  to  expel  them  from 
the  school ;  and  this  expulsion  would  be  a  disgrace  to 
them  as  long  as  they  lived,  and  they  would  be  re- 
proached with  it,  even  when  they  grew  up  to  be  men 
and  women ;  that  they  would  be  too  bad  to  live  in  so- 
ciety, and  would  be  driven,  like  dogs,  out  of  it ;  and, 
last  of  all,  I  told  them  the  Great  Spirit  would  be  angry 
with  them,  and  bring  them  to  an  account  for  such  bad 
conduct ;  and  if  they  persisted  in  such  a  course,  they 
would  finally  be  punished  in  hell,  with  all  the  diso- 
bedient and  wicked,  forever. 

I  do  not  now  recollect  that  this  course  was  ever 
unsuccessful,  but  it  often  brought  the  transgressor  to 
penitence  ana  tears ;  and  I  am  fully  persuaded  that  I 
could  do  more  with  these  boys  and  young  men  than 
any  other  person.  They  looked  upon  my  course  with 
them  as  the  fruit  of  my  love  and  esteem  for  them, 
and  the  great  interest  I  had  in  their  welfare.     But  a 


THE    INDIAN    CHARACTER. 


375 


contrary  course  only  excited  a  spirit  of  obstinacy  and 
revenge,  and  had  a  very  bad  effect  on  the  older  ones. 
It  gave  the  savage  party  room  to  talk  and  say,  "  See ! 
your  children  are  beat  like  dogs;  and  they  intend 
to  make  slaves  of  them."  The  course  of  whipping 
was  not  often  pursued,  and  it  never  did  any  good. 

It  is  impossible  for  any  man,  no  matter  what  his 
abilities  are,  to  have  access  to,  or  exert  any  good 
influence  among,  the  Indians,  unless  he  can  come 
down,  and  associate  with  them  in  a  very  friendly 
way;  for  if  ho  keeps  at  a  distance,  or  shows  any 
coldness,  or  reserve  of  friendship,  he  can  have  no 
access  to  them.  They  will  say,  "He  is  proud,  and 
thinks  himself  above  us."  They  will  pass  him  by, 
and  laugh  at  his  talks.  If  the  Indian  is  benefited  by 
the  missionary,  and  opens  his  ear  to  hear  the  Gospel, 
he  must  first  have  confidence  in  the  preacher,  as  a 
good  man.  The  minister  must  be  one  that  does  not 
waver.  He  must  be  firm  in  purpose,  yet  mild,  hum- 
ble, and  fervent.  No  people  are  more  honest  to  yield 
to  the  truth,  when  they  are  convinced  of  it;  and 
they  become  convinced,  if  you  can  answer  all  their 
objections  till  they  can  offer  no  more.  Then  they 
will  give  up,  and  embrace  the  truth.  I  have  wit- 
nessed this  in  many  instances;  and  the  result  has 
proved  the  sincerity  of  their  conduct  and  repentance. 
Indians,  in  general,  stand  firm  to  their  promise,  or 
word;  and  it  is  considered  an  act  of  great  meanness 
to  falsify  a  promise.  Great  integrity  has  been  man- 
ifested, even  in  many  of  those  who  were  what  would 


'.M- 


376 


LIFE    AMONO    THE    INDIANS. 


be  called  confirmed  drunkards.  But  when  they  re- 
nounced  their  sins,  they  have  refused,  on  any  occa- 
sion, to  taste  ardent  spirits ;  and  have  continued  firm, 
till  they  closed  their  earthly  existence.  They  ex- 
hibited the  power  of  religion  on  their  hearts,  in  life 
and  death ;  and  are,  no  doubt,  this  day  receiving  their 
reward  in  a  better  and  happier  world. 


REV.    JACOB    HOOPER    AND    WIFE.      377 


CHAPTER    XIV. 


EXCURSION   TO   THE   NORTHERN   TRIBES. 

At  the  conference  held  in  Urbana,  Ohio,  Septem- 
ber, 1823,  I  was  reappointed  to  the  superintendency 
of  the  Wyandott  mission,  with  the  Rev.  Jacob  Hooper 
and  his  wife.  Brother  Hooper  was  to  hav3  the  su- 
pervision of  the  farm,  and  his  wife  Avas  to  take  charge 
of  the  Indian  girls  as  teacher.  This  was  a  great 
relief  to  us,  for  our  cares  were  more  than  we  were 
able  to  bear.  Brother  Hooper  well  understood  the 
business  of  farming,  and  it  prospered  greatly  under 
his  care.  He  labored  with  his  own  hands  daily,  and 
improved  the  farm  greatly.  Sister  Hooper  wad  well 
qualified  for  her  department,  and  by  her  amiable  dis- 
position won  the  affection  of  all  the  children  and 
famir  .  Her  piety  was  conspicuous,  and  shone  as  a 
light  in  this  dark  and  benighted  land.  Our  burden 
was  made  much  lighter  by  this  appointment.  Brother 
Hooper  was  an  old  and  well-tried  friend.  We  bad 
been  fellow-laborers  in  another  field  in  former  years. 

At  t:his  conference  I  was  instructed  to  extend  my 
labors  to  the  Ottawas  and  Chippewas,  at  Saginaw 
Bay.  After  we  arrived  at  our  station,  and  entered 
upon  our  work,  as  soon  as  possible  I  made  prepara- 
tion  for  the  journey.     I  wrote,  previously  to   the 

82 


378 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


annual  conference,  to  Gov.  Cass,  chief  agent  of  the 
Indian  department  for  all  the  west,  in  reference  to 
the  situation  of  the  Saginaw  Indians,  and  the  prob- 
ability of  establishing  a  mission  among  them.  In 
reply  to  my  letter,  I  received  the  following  statement 
of  facts: 

"With  respect  to  the  establishment  of  a  mission 
at  Saginaw,  I  will  state  the  facts,  and  you  must  de- 
termine for  yourself  the  propriety  of  making  the 
experiment.  The  Chippewas,  who  live  there,  are  the 
most  troublesome  Indians  in  this  quarter.  They  are 
in  the  lowest  state  of  moral  degradation.  More  sav- 
age and  indolent,  and  less  tractable  than  the  Wy- 
andotts,  any  comparison  between  them  will  result 
greatly  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  former.  These 
considerations,  while  they  show  the  difficulties  which 
must  be  encountered  by  a  missionary  establishment, 
ahow  also  the  immense  benefits  which  must  result 
from  such  an  institution,  properly  directed. 

"The  means  which  I  could  apply  in  aid  of  this 
attempt,  are  the  application  of  the  sum  of  two  thou- 
sand dollars,  appropriated  by  an  act  of  Congress,  in 
conformity  with  a  stipulation  in  the  treaty  of  Sagi- 
naw, for  the  support  of  a  blacksmith,  and  for  the 
purchase  of  horses,  cattle,  and  farming  utensils,  and 
for  the  employment  of  persons  to  aid  the  Indians  in 
their  agricultural  labors.  I  should  be  well  satisfied 
to  leave  the  expenditure  of  this  sum  to  any  respecta- 
ble missionary  establishment,  requiring  only  that  it 


JOUN    STEWART. 


879 


should  be  faithfully  and  judiciously  applied  to   the 
objects  expressed  in  the  treaty. 

"What  would  be  the  views  of  the  Indians  toward 
such  an  experiment,  I  do  not  know.  Heretofore,  they 
have  not  been  favorably  disposed;  and  in  oat,  in- 
stance the  attempt  has  failed.  But  so  much  depends 
on  the  experience  and  personal  character  of  those 
appointed  to  conduct  such  a  work,  that  the  failure 
of  the  first  experiment  furnishes  no  proof  that  a  fu- 
ture one  would  fail  also.'* 

Perhaps  this  will  be  a  suitable  place  for  me  to  say 
something  of  brother  John  Stewart,  who  was  the  first 
instrument  to  introduce  evangelical  religion  into  this 
nation.  He  had  been  associated  with  the  mission 
from  the  time  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  drew 
the  most  of  his  support  from  it  for  himself  and  family. 

John's  health  had  been  poor  from  the  first;  and 
it  is  confidently  believed  that  his  afflictions  and  fee- 
bleness of  body  were  the  result  of  his  intemperance 
before  he  embraced  religion.  He  told  me  that  his 
former  habits  had  ruined  his  constitution.  He  was 
affected  with  the  consumption  the  first  time  I  saw 
him;  and  this  insidious  disease  continued  to  under- 
mine his  health,  till  at  last  he  fell  a  prey  to  it ;  but 
he  continued  his  labors  among  us  till  the  summer 
before  he  died.  He  was  visited  by  some  of  the  col- 
ored preachers  belonging  to  the  Allenites,  which  sep- 
arated from  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Ho 
attended  their  conference,  and  joined  with  them  at 


,».y..-i^  >"'  "i. "- » 


B80 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


that  time.  lie  said  to  me,  on  his  return,  that  he  had 
done  it,  believing  he  could  be  more  useful  among  his 
own  people  than  the  whites ;  and  that  he  had  to  make 
no  sacrifice  of  principle  in  so  doing,  for  they  held 
fast  to  the  Methodist  doctrine,  and,  with  but  little 
alteration,  to  the  Discipline.  Yet,  notwithstanding  he 
had  withdrawn  from  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
for  the  sake  of  what  he  had  done  among  the  Indians, 
I  always  treated  him  as  though  he  had  not;  and  so 
long  as  he  lived  he  received  support. 

In  the  fall  of  1823  he  grew  worse,  and  soon  wa8 
confined  to  his  house.  As  the  winter  set  in  he  was 
confined  to  his  bed.  I  visited  him  frequently,  and 
had  many  serious  conversations  with  him.  He  al- 
ways spoke  with  strong  confidence  of  his  future 
state,  and  said  he  had  no  doubt  of  his  acceptance 
with  God,  through  faith  in  Christ.  I  visited  him  a 
short  time  before  his  death.  As  I  was  about  to  start 
on  a  journey  to  the  north,  and  expected  to  see  him 
no  more,  we  parted  with  the  hope  of  meeting  in  a 
better  world.  He  died  in  his  own  house,  December 
17, 1823,  in  great  peace.  His  funeral  was*  attended 
by  my  worthy  colleague,  Rev.  Jacob  Hooper. 

Having  made  arrangements  for  our  journey  to  the 
north,  we  started  December  10,  1823.  Our  company 
consisted  of  Mononcue,  Squire  Gray -Eyes,  and  Jona- 
than Pointer,  for  interpreter.  Mononcue  and  Jona- 
than went  by  Stewart's  to  take  their  farewell  of 
him — the  rest  of.  us  having  done  it  previously — and 
nere  to  meet  us  at  the  Big  reservation.    Gray- Eyes 


BEFLECTIONS    IN    TUE    FOREST. 


381 


anil  myself  took  the  packs  and  horses,  and  went  a 
nearer  route  across  the  plains.  This  day  was  cold — 
the  wind  blowing  from  the  north,  and  the  snow  driv- 
ing in  our  faces.  After  traveling  several  miles,  wo 
stopped  at  a  cottage,  warmed  ourselves,  and  made  a 
repast  on  bread  and  meat.  We  then  started,  and  en- 
tered a  gloomy  forest.  The  snow  hanging  on  the 
bushes  across  our  path,  and  the  dark,  lowering  clouds 
suspended  over  us,  led  us  to  serious  reflections  on 
death  and  the  grave.  While  solemn  meditations  were 
passing  through  our  minds,  the  clouds  were  dispersed, 
and  the  cheerful  sun  shone  brilliantly  upon  us.  The 
thought  of  the  second  advent  of  Christ,  in  all  his 
splendor,  and  a  redemption  from  the  grave,  followed ; 
and  we  felt  a  prelibation  of  the  raptures  of  that  day 
when  clouds  and  storms  should  cease  forever,  and  the 
light  of  God's  countenance  shine  upon  us  all. 

The  great  contrast  between  the  darkness  and  the 
light,  made  us  remember  the  poor,  benighted  Indians 
we  were  going  to  visit.  They  were  living  in  the 
gloom  of  death,  while  the  hateful  superstition  of  past 
and  present  delusions  had  buried  all  their  comforts. 
Crime  of  all  descriptions,  as  the  fruit  of  the  intoxi- 
cating draught,  had  pollut'^d  every  fountain  of  happi- 
ness; and  witchcraft,  with  its  midnight  enchantments, 
girded  all  the  other  evils,  and  fastened  them  firmly  on 
the  poor  Indian's  soul.  No  cheerful  ray  of  hope, 
breaking  through  the  darkness  of  the  future,  came 
to  bless  or  comfort  him.  All  was  a  dark  and  dreary 
uncertainty;   but   the  darkness  will  loon  give  way 


i! 


I! 


1; 


382 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


before  the  glorious  light  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 
We  are  his  embassadors,  artd  bring  good  news  and 
glad  tidings  of  great  joy.  "  Ilow  beautiful  upon  the 
mountains  are  the  feet  of  him  that  bringeth  good 
tidings !" 

After  traveling  several  miles,  and  the  shades  of 
night  had  began  to  inclose  us,  we  came  to  some  In- 
dian houses,  the  inhabitants  of  which  were  wandering 
in  the  forest  in  quest  of  game.  Here  we  concluded  to 
stay  for  the  night.  After  making  a  good  fire,  feed- 
ing and  securing  our  horses,  my  comrade  made  search 
for,  and  procured  a  root  of  sassafras,  of  which  we 
made  tea,  which,  after  riding  in  the  cold,  was  very 
refreshing.  After  having  supped,  we  commended  our- 
selves to  God,  by  prayer  and  thanksgiving,  implor- 
ing his  blessing  on  our  journey  and  its  objects,  and 
spread  our  blankets,  and  lay  down  to  rest.  The  night 
being  cold,  we  had  frequently  to  rise  and  renew  our 
fire.  In  the  morning  we  had  prayer,  fed  our  horses, 
and  while  eating  our  breakfast,  our  two  friends,  Mo- 
noncue  and  Pointer,  joined  us.  We  set  out  through 
a  thick  forest,  and  traveled  a  small  Indian  trail,  our 
way  being  often  obstructed  by  logs  and  swamps. 

We  had  translated  a  hymn  into  Wyandott,  and  em- 
ployed ourselves  in  learning  to  sing  together, 

*'  Hail  thou  blest  morn,  when  the  great  Mediator 
Down  from  the  regions  of  glory  descends/'  etc. 

This  day  my  two  companions  and  Pointer  learned 
to  sing  the  translation  tolerably  well,  and  we  made 


THE    W  Y  A  N  D  0  T  T    CAPTIVE. 


383 


Christ. 
IS  and 
on  the 
1  good 

.des  of 
me  In- 
idering 
dded  to 
),  feed- 
search 
lich  we 
as  very 
led  our- 
implor- 
3ts,  and 
le  night 
lew  our 
lorses, 
s,  Mo- 
irough 
ail,  our 

nd  em- 


the   swjinips  and  the  surrounding  forest  vocal   with 


our  songs. 


earned 
made 


After  toiling  hard  we  reached  the  west  branch  of 
Portage  river.  The  sun  had  sunk  behind  a  cloud. 
We  stopped  under  the  branches  of  a  beech-tree,  cut 
wood  for  the  night,  scraped  away  the  snow,  stretched 
our  tents,  and  Mononcue  soon  prepared  some  supper, 
by  roasting  our  meat  on  a  stick,  and  boiling  some 
spice-wood  twigs.  We  then  engaged  in  a  long  con- 
versation about  the  former  wars  of  their  nation,  and 
the  success  of  the  different  parties. 

He  related  one  case,  in  which  a  whole  party  of 
their  enemies  were  entirely  cut  oflf.  Some  years  pre* 
viously  they  had  taken  a  Wyandott  woman,  and  made 
a  slave  of  her.  On  a  war  excursion  they  took  her 
with  them,  probably  to  mend  their  moccasins  and 
make  their  fires.  At  or  near  where  we  were  then 
encamped,  they  stopped  for  the  night,  and  sent  her 
for  wood.  While  she  was  thus  wandering,  she  fell  in 
yith  a  party  of  her  own  people,  and  they  agreed  with 
her,  that  as  soon  as  the  Indians  fell  asleep,  she  should 
tie  their  feet  together,  and  if  they  should  awake  while 
she  was  doing  it,  she  was  to  fly  to  them  for  protec- 
tion. She  succeeded,  and  the  Wyandotts  fell  upon 
them,  and  destroyed  them  all,  so  that  none  escaped. 

The  country  through  which  we  passed  was  flat  and 
swampy  land,  interspersed  with  some  of  the  finest 
sugar-trees  I  have  ever  seen  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  state.  Among  these  are  many  sugar  camps, 
where  the  Indians  make  sugar  and  catch  raccoons. 


884 


I.TFE    AMONG    THE    INDIAN8. 


This  is  tlicir  spring  employment,  from  the  first  of 
February  to  tlic  first  of  April.  The  men  take  several 
hundred  raccoons  in  one  of  these  hunts,  and  the  wo- 
men are  employed  in  making  sugar. 

On  the  morning  of  the  12th  we  set  out  at  an  early 
hour.  Our  path  led  through  a  part  of  the  Black 
Swamp,  lying  between  the  west  and  north  fork  of 
Portage  river.  The  swamp  was  aanost  impassable. 
As  the  ice  was  not  strong  enough  to  bear  our  horses, 
they  were  continually  breaking  through.  One  of  our 
horses  was  twice  mired.  This  swamp  extended  about 
eleven  miles.  We  reached  the  north  fork,  wnere  we 
entered  the  plains,  which  continued  to  the  Maumee 
river. 

These  plains  are,  for  the  most  part,  thin  land,  and 
interspersed  throughout  with  bogs,  or  low,  wet  places, 
and  often  covered  with  water  for  half  a  mile.  Our 
traveling  now  being  more  pleasant,  my  friends  con- 
versed with  me  about  the  country,  and  I  learned  that 
this  tract  of  land,  lying  between  Portage  river  and 
the  Maumee,  which  was  all  plains,  interspersed  with 
groves  of  timber,  covered  a  large  extent  of  country, 
and  was  used  every  fall  fo"  the  ring  hunt.  This  is 
made  by  setting  fire  to  the  leaves  and  grass  in  a 
circle  of  fifteen  or  twenty  miles ;  and  the  fire  drives 
all  the  game  into  a  pound,  where  they  are  shot  dowL 
in  immense  quantities.  Sometimes  as  many  as  five 
hundred  deer  have  been  killed  on  one  of  these  occa- 
sions. The  raccoons  climb  the  trees  in  the  groves  of 
timber,  and  are  caught  in  great  abundance.     One  of 


INCIDENTS    OP    THE    JOURNEY. 


88C 


st  of 
5veral 
e  wo- 

earlv 

« 

Black 
rk  of 
;sable. 
lorses, 
of  our 
about 
ere  we 
[aumee 

id,  and 
places, 
.    Our 
[s  con- 
sd  that 
jr  and 
with 
|untry, 
'his  is 
in  a 
Idrivea 
dowi. 
^s  five 
occa- 
res  of 
Ine  of 


our  party  said  he  had  killed  as  many  as  fifty  in  one 
day.  These  are  most  generally  shot  with  the  bow  and 
arrow.  The  product  of  the  hunt  is  equally  dividud 
among  the  individuals  who  compose  the  party. 

This  day  was  dark  and  cold.  Sometimes  the  snow 
fell  80  fast  that  we  could  hardly  discern  the  trace. 
Late  in  the  evening  vre  reached  the  Lower  Rapids 
of  the  Maumee  river,  and  forded  it  just  above  the 
principal  rapid.  The  ford  was  seemingly  dangeio\i3, 
on  account  of  the  fissures  in  the  rocks,  some  of  which 
were  deep  and  narrow.  The  swiftness  of  the  stream 
was  such,  that  it  seemed  almost  impossible,  should 
tho  horses  stupible  and  fall,  that  we  could  escape 
drowning;  but  we  had  no  other  way  to  get  across, 
and,  protected  by  a  kind  Providence;  we  passed  in 
safety.  That  night  we  rode  ten  miles,  and  put  up 
at  a  public  house  kept  by  a  man  who  had  made  a 
profession  of  religion. 

As  the  snow  was  deep,  and  the  day  unfavorable, 
we  were  the  only  travelers,  and  were  permitted  to 
occupy  the  bar-room.  After  we  had  partaken  of 
some  refreshments — the  first  we  had  received  since 
morning — we  were  invited  to  have  prayers  with  the 
family;  and  in  this  we  enjoyed  ourselves  well.  I 
asked  Mononcue  to  sing,  who  was  aided  by  the  other 
Indians,  and,  after  singing,  to  join  in  prayer.  They 
sang  in  the  sweetest  strains,  in  Indian,  the  following 
hymn: 

"  Gome  thou  Fount  of  every  blessiog, 
Taoe  my  heart  to  sing  thy  grace/'  ete.> 
25 


^iPPiWPii^^ 


mi 


386 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS 


and  I  sang  with  them  in  the  English,  which  seemed 
to  have  a  powerful  effect  on  the  man  of  the  houBe 
and  his  family,  it  being  a  strange  thing  to  them  to 
hear  Indians  thus  sing  and  pray.  My  old  friend's 
soul  was  fired  with  his  theme,  and  he  prayed  as  if 
the  heavens  and  the  earth  were  coming  together. 
When  we  arose  from  our  knees,  he  and  Squire  Gray- 
Eyes  went  and  shook  hands  with  all  in  the  house, 
weeping  and  exhorting  them,  in  Indian,  to  turn  to 
God,  believe  and  live.  We  had  a  good  meeting,  for 
many  of  the  family  wept.  Here  I  will  give  a  few 
verses  of  the  hymn  before  mentioned,  in  the  Wyan- 
dott  language : 

Yar-ro-tawsa  shre-wan  daros 

Du-saw-shaw-taw-tra-war-ta 
Di-da-aha-hoo-saw-ina-gawrah 
Dow-ta-ta  ya-tu-haw-ahu. 

Chorus — Durah-ma-yah  !  durah-ma-yab  ! 

Ded-so-mah-ras  qui-hun-ca. 
English— Halleluiah  !  halleluiah  I 

We  are  on  our  jourmy  home. 

Yar-ro-tawsa  shre-wan  daros 

Shasus  tatot  di  cuarta 
Scar  tre  hoc  tar  share  wan  daro 

Sha  yar  ne  tshar  see  sentra. 

Durah-ma-yah !  durah-ma-yah  t  eta. 

On-on-ti  zo-hot  si  caw-quor 

Sheat  un  taw  ruh  de  Shasus  so 
T«u  yo  dashar  san  de  has  lo 

Dishee  cuw  quar,  na  ha  ha. 

Durah-ma-yah  I  durah-ma-yah !  etc. 

After  we  retired,  brother  Mononcue  asked  me,  "  Is 
this  man  religious?"     I  said,  "Yes,  I  believe  so." 


RUM — THE    JOURNET. 


887 


»e,  "  Is 


re  80. 


It 


"How  can  that  be,"  said  he,  "while  he  keeps  and 
sells  the  fire-waters?  [meaning  ardent  i»pirits.]  I 
thought  that  religious  men  were  to  love  God  and  all 
men,  and  not  do  any  evil ;  and  can  there  be  a  worse 
evil  than  the  keeping  and  measuring  out  this  destruc- 
tive thing,  which  makes  men  crazy,  and  leads  them  to 
commit  any  crime,  even  murder?"  I  told  him  it  was 
a  great  evil  and  sin.  and  I  could  not  see  how  any  mac 
could  be  good  and  practice  it ;  that  it  never  did  any 
good,  but  was  always  productive  of  the  worst  crimes. 
He  then  replied  that  all  such  ought  to  be  kept  out  of 
the  Church,  or  turned  out  if  they  were  in  and  Avould 
not  quit  it.  I  agreed  with  him  in  sentiment;  so, 
after  prayer,  we  spread  our  blankets,  end  committed 
ourselves  to  sleep. 

We  made  an  early  start  on  the  thirteenth.  Our 
road  was  much  better,  and  lay,  principally,  through 
a  rolling,  sandy  country  of  plains,  interspersed  with 
groves  of  white-oak.  About  an  hour  before  sunset, 
We  crossed  the  River  Raisin.  This  was  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  places  I  have  ever  seen.  The  river 
and  the  lake  afforded  a  delightful  prospect,  even  at 
that  dreary  season  of  the  year.  We  turned  int^  a 
French  settlement  on  Sandy  creek — the  prairies  being 
all  burned — and  obtained  lodging  for  the  night  in  a 
small  hut.  -The  family  was  quite  large,  and  the  hut, 
with  the  accession  we  made,  was  literally  filled. 
Some  time  after,  our  landlord  came  home  with  a  keg 
of  whisky.  He  put  it  under  his  bed,  and  soon  was 
engaged  in  a  conversation  with  our  interpreter,  and, 


888 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


through  him,  with  the  chiefs.  Being  tired  and  weary, 
I  got  my  blanket,  and  took  one  corner  of  the  hut  for 
my  bed.  After  the  man  and  his  wife  had  crossed 
themselves,  and  said  some  kind  of  prayer  in  French, 
they  lay  down.  Then  Mononcue  asked  Pointer  if 
we  were  to  have  prayer  to-night.  His  reply  was, 
"  I  do  not  know.  The  preacher  has  gone  to  bed,  and 
BO  have  all  the  family."  "Well,"  said  he,  "we  will 
pray,  notwithstanding."  So  he  began,  and  the  other 
two  joined  in.  He  prayed  with  great  fervor.  This 
alarmed  the  Frenchman  and  his  wife,  so  that  they 
could  scarcely  stay  in  bed.  I  kept  my  position  till 
it  was  over,  and  then  we  all  went  to  sleep.  But  the 
weather  being  extremely  cold,  we  could  not  rest  long; 
and  about  four  o'clock,  all  arose.  Here  our  host  pro- 
posed making  a  present  to  the  chiefs,  and  spoke  to 
them  to  that  effect.  Mononcue  asked  him  what  he 
had  to  give.  The  reply  was,  "A  good  dram  of 
whisky."  Mononcue  exhibited  the  greatest  disdain 
and  contempt,  picked  up  his  bridle  and  hat,  and  said, 
"We  will  now  go."  We  followed,  got  our  horses, 
and,  dark,  snowing,  and  blowing  as  it  was,  we  set  off 
through  a  plain  country,  without  a  road  or  path.  We 
followed  Mononcue  as  our  guide;  and  about  two 
hours  after,  we  were  glad  to  see  the  day  break  on 
us.  At  sunrise  we  reached  the  woodland  on  Stony 
creek.  Here  the  snow  had  drifted  till  it  was  near 
two  feet  deep.  When  we  came  to  the  creek,  our 
guide  seemed  determined  to  proceed.  I  said,  "Mo- 
noncue, are  we  to  have  nothing  to  eat?     I  am  bun- 


DIFFICULTIES. 


389 


of 


gry."  "Well,"  he  said,  "let  us  stop."  We  com- 
menced scraping  away  the  snow,  and  shortly  had  a 
fire.  I  made  the  coflfee,  and  Mononcue  broiled  the 
meat.  Before  we  began  our  repast,  he  said  we  must 
have  prayer.  I  asked  him  to  pfay.  We  kneeled 
lown  in  the  snow,  which  was  almost  to  our  arms 
"when  on  our  knees,  and  he  prayed  till  I  was  almost 
frozen,  and  with  a  zeal  and  devotion  peculiar  to 
himself. 

After  we  had  refreshed  ourselves,  and  the  horses 
had  browsed,  we  passed  the  creek  with  some  difficulty, 
and  continued  our  journey  along  the  blind  Indian 
path,  over  which  hung  bushes  hravy  laden  with  snow. 
This,  together  with  fallen  timber,  rendered  our  way 
almost  impassable;  so  that  it  was  late  in  the  after- 
noon when  we  arrived  at  the  Huron  river,  in  the 
Wyandott  reserve  of  eight  sections.  Here  we  had  a 
very  formidable  difficulty  to  encounter.  The  river 
was  just  fordable,  and  frozen  on  both  sides  for  two 
or  more  rods.  We  alighted,  took  our  tomahawks 
and  cut  the  ice;  then  jumped  our  horses  down  into 
the  water,  got  on,  and  rode  to  the  ice  on  the  opposite 
shore.  Here  we  sat  on  our  horses,  and  cut  the  ice, 
when  the  water  was  more  than  midsides  deep ;  and  I 
think  a  colder  day  I  hardly  ever  experienced.  After 
staying  in  the  water  nearly  half  an  hour,  we  got  on 
the  ice,  and  whipped  our  horses  upon  it.  We  were 
not  out  of  the  water  ten  minutes  before  our  clothes 
were  frozen  stiff;  and  then  we  had  two  miles  to  go 
before  we  should  arrive  at  any  house.     We  set  off  at 


d;90 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


full  Speed,  and  arrived,  at  sundown,  at  the  residence 
of  our  old  friend  Honnis,  where  we  were  most  cor- 
dially and  heartily  welcomed,  and  our  wants  were 
comfortably  supplied.  How  good  it  is,  even  in  a  land 
of  savages,  to  fiiid  a  friend  and  a  welcome  in  the 
hour  of  need;  and  never  were  men  more  kindly 
seceived  than  we  were  on  this  occasion. 

This  being  the  Sabbath — though  it  had  been  our 
intention  to  reach  this  place  on  Saturday,  but  the 
roads  and  weather  had  prevented — we  immediately 
sent  forth  word  in  the  village  that  we  would  hold 
meeting  at  night.  All  were  in  attendance.  I  tried 
to  preach,  and  brothers  Mononcue  and  Gray-Eyes  ex- 
horted. Then  we  invited  such  as  were  seeking  relig- 
ion to  come  forward  to  be  prayed  for.  Several  came, 
whom  ve  endeavored  to  point  to  the  Lamb  of  God, 
who  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world.  Some  of 
them  believed  with  the  heart  unto  righteousness. 
The  next  morning  we  had  meeting  again,  and  formed 
a  class  of  twelve  members.  This  was  the  first  In- 
dian class  formed  in  the  Michigan  territory. 

We  found  a  friend  and  great  advocate  of  religion 
in  brother  Honnis.  I  was  remarkably  struck  with 
the  appearance  of  this  man.  His  frame  was  large: 
his  face  resembled  that  of  the  German ;  high  fore- 
head and  cheek-bones,  his  nose  aj[uiline,  and  his  hair 
as  white  as  wool.  He  sat  on  a  deer-skin,  with  his 
legs  crossed.  His  eyes  were  dim,  and  almost  sight- 
less. His  Kinnekinick  pouch,  in  which  he  kept  his 
p'pe  and  tobacco,  with  a  knife  that  was  nearly  worn 


THE    VENERABLE    HONNIS. 


391 


igion 
with 


>t  bis 
worn 


to  the  back,  which  he  used  for  cutting  his  tobacco, 
was  on  one  side,  and  a  pair  of  crutches  on  the  other. 
I  think  I  have  never  seen  a  man  more  dignified  in  his 
appearance.  His  countenance  was  calm  and  serene. 
After  the  usual  ceremoni?s  of  smoking  were  over,  he 
addressed  us  in  the  following  manner: 

"Brothers,  I  am  glad  that  the  Great  Spirit  has 
given  me  this  opportunity  ot  seeing  your  faces  once 
more  before  I  die.  He  has  always  been  kind  to  me. 
I  have  heard  what  the  Great  Spirit  has  done  for  you, 
and  many  of  our  nation,  by  his  word  and  ministers, 
and  I  have  rejoiced  in  it ;  but  my  age  and  afflictions 
have  prevented  me  from  getting  up,  and  going  to  see 
and  join  you  in  it.  I  have  waited  till  God  has  sent 
you  to  my  cabin,  for  which  I  thank  him." 

I  then  told  him  that  I  had  come  to  bring  him  the 
glad  tidings  of  salvation ;  that  Jesus,  his  Savior,  had 
died  to  save  all  the  world,  and  that  whosoever  be- 
lieved on  him,  and  broke  off  from  their  sins,  should 
certainly  find  mercy.  While  I  spoke  to  him,  the 
tears  fell  in  streams  from  his  almost  sightless  eyes, 
and  his  swelling  soul  was  big  with  gratitude  and 
praise  to  God  for  his  redeeming  love.  He  said,  "I 
have  always  prayed  to  the  Great  Spirit,  and  I  know 
he  has  heard  me  and  protected  me,  in  the  battle-field, 
and  in  the  hour  of  sickness,  and  he  has  kept  me  from 
the  sin  of  drunkenness ;  but  I  have  done  many  other 
things  that  were  contrary  to  his  mind,  and  I  am  very 
sorry.  I  have  been  looking  up  for  help  in  my  old 
days,  and  have  often  felt  happy  in  my  soul ;  but  this 


PK 


mm 


m^^mM 


wm 


892 


LIFB    AMONQ    THB    INDIANS. 


news  of  a  Savior  makes  my  heart  more  glad,  and  I 
will  now  look  to  him  as  my  great  help  in  these  days 
of  my  great  weakness.  I  must  soon  go  the  road  of 
all  the  earth.  I  can  not  walk  without  these  sticks, 
and  the  sun  is  hid  from  my  eyes.  But  I  hope  my 
children,  and  grandchildren,  will  take  hold  of  this 
great  word,  which  God  has  spoken  to  all  nations,  and 
now  to  us,  and  hold  it  fast  till  they  shall  be  called 
upon  to  go  to  their  Father's  house  above." 

This  man  was  taken  prisoner  when  he  was  so  young 
as  not  to  recollect  any  thing  but  that  his  name  was 
Honnis,  and  that  he  crossed  very  high  mountains. 
At  this  time  he  supposed  himself  to  be  over  eighty- 
five  years  old.  He  was  one  of  the  principal  chiefs 
for  many  years,  and  was  very  highly  esteemed  as  a 
man.  He  was  well  acquainted  with  the  history  of 
the  Catholic  priests  and  their  religion;  and  told  us 
that  there  was  a  great  difference  between  the  conduct 
of  the  first  priests  and  those  that  had  last  lived 
among  them ;  that  the  first  were  sober,  praying,  good 
men,  but  the  last  would  say  one  thing,  and  act  the 
contrary  way,  so  that  the  Indians  had  not  much  con- 
fidence in  them. 

The  Indians  on  this  reserve  were  a  mixture  of  the 
Shawnees  and  Wyandotts,  by  intermarriages.  Their 
lands  were  £;ood,  and  their  situations  comfortable. 

On  the  15th  we  rode  to  the  mouth  of  the  Detroit 
river,  and  put  up  with  Mr.  John  Waljcer,  a  son  of 
William  Walker,  of  Upper  Sandusky.  This  is  a  most 
beautiful  part  of  the  country.     Here  the  Detroit  rlve» 


DETROIT    RIVER — BROWNSTOWN.      393 


pours  the  water  of  the  upper  lakes  into  Lake  Erie, 
on  its  way  to  the  great  Falls  of  Niagara,  and  thence 
to  the  ocean.  Here  the  view  to  the  eye  is  extended, 
till  the  blue  ethereal  and  the  blue  wave  seem  to  meet. 
The  heavens  above,  and  the  waters  of  the  lake  below, 
seem  to  unite  together,  and  vision  can  not  penetrate 
farther.  The  wind  was  blowing  almost  a  gale,  and 
the  mountain  waves  were  breaking  on  the  sandy 
beach,  with  the  sound  of  many  waters.  The  distance 
across  the  mouth  of  the  river  is  computed  to  be  about 
five  miles.  Above  the  mouth  the  river  is  divided, 
and  runs  on  each  side  of  the  Grosse  Island,  which  is 
eight  miles  long,  and  about  three  miles  wide.  The 
largest  body  of  water,  and  the  most  navigable  branch, 
lies  on  the  British  side. 

Opposite  the  lower  end  of  the  island,  on  the  Can- 
ada side,  is  the  British  fort,  Maiden,  a  noted  place  in 
the  late  war.  On  the  river,  two  miles  above  this,  is 
the  Indian  reservation,  on  which  some  of  the  Wyan- 
dotts  live.  This  extends  seven  miles  on  the  river, 
and  nine  miles  back. 

Near  to  the  mouth  of  the  riv«r,  on  the  American 
side,  is  the  Indian  town,  called  Brownstown,  near 
which  a  severe  battle  was  fought  in  the  late  war. 
This  took  its  name  from  a  man  who  was  taken  pris- 
oner when  young,  from  Greenbrier,  in  Virginia,  a 
brother  of  General  Brown,  of  that  country.  He 
married  an  Indian  woman,  and  raised  a  large  family. 
He  was  remarkable,  all  his  life,  for  sobriety  and  recti-- 
tude  of  conduct;  was  greatly  esteemed,  and  the  influ- 


■plfwppp 


894 


LIFE    AMONQ    THE    INDIANS. 


ence  of  his  example  was  great  through  his  whole  lifv 
In  1800  this  village  contained  many  inhabitants,  who 
treated  strangers  and  travelers  with  great  hospitality. 
I  staid  two  days  and  two  nights  with  them,  and  found 
them  very  kind.  But  this  land  has  since  been  ceded 
to  the  United  States,  and  the  Indians  have  all  left  it. 

After  tarrying  for  the  night  on  this  delightful  spot, 
we  set  off  next  morning  for  Detroit  city.  Here  we 
were  joyfully  received  by  my  old  friend,  brother 
Dean.  The  news  got  out  that  some  of  the  Christian 
Indians  were  with  me,  and  this  called  together  some 
who  were  skeptical  on  the  subject  of  the  possibility 
of  Indians  being  religious.  They  conversed  with 
them  on  that  subject,  and  found  that  they  were  not 
at  a  loss  to  give  a  reason  of  the  hope  that  was  in 
them.  They  could  tell  of  their  conviction,  conver- 
sion, and  progress  in  godliness,  as  well  as  though 
they  had  been  taught  to  read,  or  were  brought  up  by 
Christian  parents. 

After  the  conversation  ended,  in  which  I  took  no 
part,  but  left  them  to  make  the  examination  for  them- 
selves, I  asked  the  Indian  brethren  to  sing  a  hymn  in 
Wyandott,  which  they  did,  to  the  astonishment  of  the 
company.  Then  I  asked  Mononcue  to  pray,  which 
he  did  with  great  fervor  and  zeal ;  and  before  he  was 
done  the  company  were  affected  to  tears,  to  hear  a 
poor  Indian  pray  with  such  power.  When  we  arose 
from  our  knees,  they  sung  again,  and,  with  their  faces 
wet  with  tears,  went  around  the  room,  and  shook 
hands  with  all  present. 


MEETING    AT    DETROIT. 


895 


by 


no 
m- 
in 
the 
ich 
vas 


This  put  an  end  to  all  their  unbelief,  and  they  most 
cordially  received  and  embraced  them  as  children  of 
God,  born  of  his  Spirit,  and  bound  for  the  land  of 
Canaan.  It  was  a  blessed  evening  to  me  and  all 
present.  We  continued  to  hold  our  meeting  for  some 
time,  and  then  parted,  in  hope  of  meeting  in  a  world 
of  glory. 

The  next  morning  we  visited  Governor  Cass,  and 
were  received  with  great  kindness,  and  obtained  from 
him  ail  the  information  he  was  in  possession  of,  in 
reference  to  the  situation  of  the  Indians  in  that  region 
of  country. 

We  were  referred  by  the  Governor  to  Major  Baker, 
commandant  of  the  garrison,  who  had  recently  built 
the  military  works  at  Saginaw.  Brother  Mononcue 
and  myself  dined  with  the  Governor,  who  treated 
us  with  the  greatest  respect.  I  tried  to  preach  at 
candle-light,  from  Romans  vi,  23,  "  The  wages  of  sin 
is  death,"  etc. ;  and  God  owned  his  word.  Many 
were  cut  to  the  heart,  and  inquired  the  way  of  salva- 
tion. 

On  the  morning  of  the  18th  we  took  breakfast 
with  brother  Lockwood,  and  waited  on  Major  Baker 
for  information,  and  met  with  a  kind  reception.  Ho 
told  us  that  the  Indians  were,  at  that  time,  princi- 
pally in  the  woods,  hunting,  except  the  old  chief, 
Kish-a-kauk-o ;  and  that  he  was  violently  o]:  rosed  to 
missions  and  to  religion  of  every  kind;  and,  at  that 
time,  particularly,  he  was  much  exasperated  and  very 
wicked,  on  account  of  an  attempt  made  by  the  In 


896 


LIFE    AMOMO    THE    INDIANS. 


dians  to  put  him  down  from  being  chief.  He  was  so 
wicked,  and  such  a  murderer — for  he  had  recently 
killed  two  Indians — that  they  were  determined  ho 
should  exercise  his  authority  as  chief  no  longer,  and 
he  was  determined  not  to  be  deposed  from  oflSce.  He 
was  one  of  the  worst  savages  in  the  country.  This 
chief  afterward  died  in  prison,  at  Detroit,  where  he 
had  been  confined  for  misdemeanors  against  the  Gov- 
ernment. 

Our  prospects  were  now  rather  unfavorable,  in 
relation  to  the  accomplishment  of  our  present  pur- 
pose ;  and,  after  maturely  considering  tTie  whole  mat- 
ter, we  concluded  to  go  no  farther  for  the  present,  but 
to  await  the  return  of  the  Indians,  and  see  what  the 
consequences  would  be ;  and  if  a  favorable  change 
could  be  effected,  to  prosecute  our  purpose. 

In  the  mean  time,  Mononcue,  Gray-Eyes,  and 
Pointer,  had  crossed  over  the  river,  and  gone  to  pay 
a  visit  to  the  Wyandotts,  on  the  Aux  Canards  river. 
At  the  end  of  two  days  I  followed  them,  after  leaving 
some  appointments  to  fill  on  my  return. 

The  first  night  I  passed  out  of  my  own  native 
country  was  with  Adam  Brown,  son  of  the  man  of 
that  name  at  Brownstown,  before  spoken  of.  Here 
we  found  his  mother,  a  very  aged  native  woman,  and 
one  that  walked  in  the  light  for  years,  and  was  a 
praying  Indian.  I  found  her  confidence  was  strong 
in  the  goodness  of  the  Great  Spirit ;  yet  she  did  not 
know  Jesus,  and  seldom  heard  his  name.  I  talked 
with  her  freely,  and  taught  her  the  plan  of  salvation 


PRBACUINO    TO    TUE    INDIANS. 


897 


by  faith  in  Jesus.  She  listened  with  the  deepest 
ince'rest,  received  the  word  in  faith,  and  blessed  God 
for  the  light  which  had  fallen  on  her  path,  which  was 
now  more  clear,  so  that  she  should  be  able  to  travel 
it  with  more  confidence,  and  with  a  stronger  step. 
Here  I  met  three  persons  who  had  been  at  the  mis- 
sion, at  Upper  Sandusky,  and  who  had  obtained  par- 
don through  the  mercy  of  God.  Brother  John  Gould 
and  his  wife  were  hjippy  in  the  knowledge  of  sins 
forgiven.  Our  brethren  had  been  holding  a  meet- 
ing, and  exhorting  their  friends  to  flee  the  wrath 
to  come. 

The  next  day,  being  the  24th  of  December,  1823, 
we  met  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Clarke,  who  was  married 
to  a  daughter  of  old  Adam  Brown.  The  house  was 
full,  and  I  commenced  preaching  from  Luke  ii,  10, 
"  And  the  angel  said  unto  them,  fear  not,"  etc.  In 
this  discourse  I  gave  a  history  of  the  creation,  of 
man  and  his  fall,  etc. ;  the  promise  of  God  that  he 
should  be  redeemed  by  the  seed  of  the  woman,  and 
the  renewal  of  this  promise  to  succeeding  genera- 
tions, to  the  patriarchs  and  prophets ;  of  the  birth 
of  Christ  at  the  time  appointed,  and  its  announce- 
ment by  an  angel;  the  doctrine  of  his  atonement; 
his  sufferings,  death,  resurrection,  ascension,  and  pres- 
ent intercession ;  of  sending  his  apostles,  and  after- 
ward minist'3rs,  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  crea- 
ture on  the  face  of  the  earth.  I  then  showed  that 
God  required  men  every-where  to  repent;  and  those 
who  did  forsake  their  sins,  and  seek  God  faitlifully 


898 


LIFE    AMONQ    TUE    INDIANS. 


by  prayer,  and  keeping  his  commandments,  should 
find  mercy. 

This  discourse  lasted,  perhaps,  three  hours.  The 
(Congregation  listened  with  deep  and  silent  attention, 
and  often  tears  streamed  from  their  eyes.  At  the 
close  of  the  sermon,  we  commenced  singing  and  pray- 
ing; and,  after  prayer  meeting,  I  opened  a  door  for 
members,  and  organized  a  Church  among  this  people. 
Nine  came  forward,  and  one  of  that  number  was  the 
aged  widow  Brown,  bending  over  the  grave,  laden 
with  the  weight  of  threescore  years  and  ten,  giving 
glory  to  God,  and  exclaiming,  "  I  will  go."  This  was 
an  indescribable  time.  Brothers  Mononcue  and  Gray- 
Eyes  told  their  experience  in  the  most  pathetic  man- 
ner, and  were  joined  by  brother  Gould  and  his  wife. 
The  whole  congregation  was  melted  into  tears.  Even 
To-Morrow  and  Split-Log,  two  of  the  oldest  chiefs, 
were  filled  with  wonder  and  amazement.  I  also 
added  to  the  nine,  who  had  just  joined,  the  three 
who  had  joined  at  the  mission,  which  made  twelve, 
whom  I  formed  into  a  class,  and  appointed  brother 
Gould  leader.  Among  those  who  joined  were  Samuel 
Brown — afterward  tin  interpreter  to  the  mission,  and 
a  licensed  preacher — Mud-Eater  and  his  wife,  Mrs. 
Clarke,  and  Magte. 

This  was  the  first  Methodist  Indian  society  formed 
in  the  Canadas;  and  it  was  a  wonder  to  all  who  heard 
of  it;  but  God  was  in  the  work,  and  inspired  them 
to  keep  up  their  prayer  and  class  meeting  j,  and  I 
instructed  them  to   go  and  get  the  preachers  who 


JOURNEYlNaS  AND  PREACUINO.   899 


^med 

leard 

Ihero 

id  I 

who 


traveled  on  that  circuit,  to  whom  I  also  wrote  on 
the  suhject,  to  come  and  take  them  into  the  regulur 
work,  which  tliey  did.  But  this  little  class  felt  that 
it  was  a  branch  of  the  Sandusky  mission;  and  'as 
manv  as  could,  would  come  over  once  or  twice  a 
}ear,  lo  our  quarterly  meetings;  and  our  Indian 
exhorters  would  visit  them  several  times  in  the  year, 
and  hold  two  and  three  days'  meetings  with  them 
The  work  spread,  and  the  class  was  grpctly  increased. 
I  returned  to  the  American  side,  to  fill  my  appoint- 
ments there,  and  left  the  brethren  with  this  new  class, 
for  a  few  days,  to  instruct  and  build  them  up  in  their 
most  holy  faith. 

On  the  twenty-sixth  I  preached  on  the  Rouge 
river,  at  brother  Robert  Abbott's,  from  Ephesians  v, 
15,  16:  "See  that  ye  walk  circumspectly,  not  as 
fools,  but  as  wise,  redeeming  the  time,  because  the 
days  are  evil."  We  had  a  time  of  feeling;  many 
wept,  and  a  few  joined  class.  Next  day  I  rode  nine- 
teen miles,  to  a  new  settlement,  and  preached  from 
the  fifth  chapter  of  John,  and  part  of  the  sixth  verse, 
*'  Wilt  thou  be  made  whole  ?"  These  people  seemed 
as  though  they  were  not  sensible  that  they  were  sick, 
and  manifested  no  concern  about  a  physician,  and  I 
fear  I  left  them  in  the  same  state. 

Next  day  I  rode  five  miles,  and  preached  in  the 
evening  to  a  very  attentive  and  weeping  congre- 
gation. Here,  I  think,  the  seed  fell  in  good  ground, 
and  I  hope  it  will  bring  forth  fruit  abundantly  to  the 
glory  of  God. 


\^-' 


-^7>^^    ^^  . 


400 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


On  Sabbath  I  rode  to  Pontiac,  and  preached  to  a 
large  congregation,  considering  the  sparseness  of  the 
population,  for  some  came  fifteen  miles.  I  preached 
from  the  first  three  verses  of  the  first  Psalm,  with 
much  liberty  in  speaking ;  and  God  owned  and  blessed 
his  word.  I  rode  seven  miles,  and  preached  again,  at 
night,  to  many  who  devoured  the  word  of  life  with 
an  appetite  that  spoke  the  state  of  their  hearts. 

Here,  in  this  wilderness,  were  scattered  about  thirty 
Methodists,  who  hungered  for  the  word  of  life.  There 
were  also  a  few  Presbyterians  and  Baptists,  who  were 
much  more  friendly,  and  united  in  worship,  and  every 
good  work  with  us,  much  more  cordially  than  they 
were  in  the  habit  of  doing  in  the  older  settlements  j 
and  I  have  no  doubt  but  the  time  will  soon  come, 
when  this  wilderness  shall  blossom  as  the  lose. 

I  returned  to  Detroit,  and  preached  at  night  from 
ReveUtions  xx,  12,  "I  saw  the  dead,  small  and  great, 
stand  before  God,  and  the  books  were  opened,"  etc. 
This  night  will  be  remembered  in  eternity.  Such 
were  ihe  cries  for  mercy,  that  my  voice  was  drowned. 
More  than  forty  came  forward  to  be  prayed  for,  and 
several  experienced  the  pardon  of  their  sins,  while 
many  others  resolved  never  to  rest  till  they  found 
redemption  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  This  city 
seemed  now  to  be  visited  with  a  cloud  of  mercy, 
and  it  appeared  the  ne.;t  day  as  if  all  business  was 
suspended.  I  went  from  house  to  house,  and  ex- 
horted all  to  turn  to  Christ.  I  went  into  the  bar 
racks,  among  the  officers  and  soldiers,  and  preached 


REVIVAL    INFLUENCE. 


401 


jd  to  a 

of  the 

•eached 

n,  wuh 

blessed 

gain,  at 

ife  with 

s. 

it  thirty 
There 

ho  were 

ad  every 

lan  they 

lements , 

an  come, 

iose. 

ght  from 
id  great, 

|ed,"  etc. 
Such 
irowned. 
for,  and 
s,  while 
y  found 
his  city 
mercy, 
ess  was 
and  ex- 
Ithe  bar 
►reached 


to  them  Jesus  and  the  resurrection.  I  prayed  in 
every  house  which  I  visited,  and  there  was  an  awful 
shaking  among  the  dry  bones.  About  sixty  joined 
the  Church,  as  the  fruit  of  these  meetings;  and,  if  I 
I  could  have  staid,  I  have  no  doubt  that  many  more 
would  have  joined;  but  it  was  imperiously  necessary 
for  me  to  return  homo. 

26 


m 


LIFE    AMONa    THE    INDIANS. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

COKVERTED  INDIANS  ON  A  WINTER  HUNT 

We  at  length  bade  our  friends  at  Detroit  adieu, 
•ud  set  our  faces  toward  home.  It  rained,  and  was 
very  disagreeable.  For  our  journey  I  procured  a 
few  pounds  of  sea  biscuit,  which  was  so  hard  that 
we  could  not  use  it  till  it  was  soaked  in  water.  We 
also  purchased  the  half  cf  a  deer  from  an  Indian. 

When  we  pitched  our  camp,  all  was  wet.  Some 
went  to  stretch  our  tent,  others  to  kindle  the  fire, 
and  the  rest  went  into  the  bog  to  gather  grass  for  us 
to  sleep  on.  About  dark  we  found  ourselves  seated 
under  our  tent  cloth,  our  fire  blazing,  and  our  meat 
stuck  upon  a  stick  roasting.  Then  brother  Monon- 
cue  got  out  our  bread;  and  found  it  quite  too  hard  for 
his  teeth.  He  called  out,  "  My  friend,  what  sort  of 
bread  is  this?  It  is  as  hard  as  a  stone."  I  said, 
"It  is  sailor's  bread,  and  must  be  dipped  in  the 
water  to  soften  it."  "Well,"  said  he,  "it  may  do 
or  men  on  the  water  or  in  the  water,  but  it  is  not 
good  for  dry  land/'  After  our  repast,  we  turned  our 
horses  into  the  woods;  and  then,  after  committing 
ourselves  to  God's  protection,  we  lay  down  on  the 
wet  grass,  in  our  half  dried  blankets,  and  soon  fell 
asleep.      A  merciful    Providence   protected   us   till 


CROSSINa    THS    MAUMGF. 


408 


we  awoke,  in  the  morning,  to  prepare  for  our  jour- 
ney. 

We  arrived,  late  in  the  evening  of  this  day,  at  the 
Rapids  of  the  Maumee.  The  river  having  become 
a  little  swollen  by  the  rains,  it  was  dangerous  to  cross. 
But  there  was  no  alternative;  we  must  ride  through 
»»t,  or  remain  where  we  were.  So,  trusting  in  a  gracioui 
Providence  to  direct  the  footsteps  of  our  horses,  we 
set  forward — every  one  taking  his  own  route.  Neither 
we  nor  our  horses  could  see  the  fissures  in  the  rocks 
Only  one  horse  stumbled,  and  the  rider  did  not  fall ; 
but  the  rapidity  of  the  stream  carried  them  both 
within  less  than  four  feet  of  where  the  water  com- 
menced its  most  precipitous  descent.  The  horse, 
however,  recovered,  stood  trembling  for  awhile,  and 
then  made  his  way  out.  Having  all  got  safe  over,  I 
said,  "My  friends,  for  this  providence,  we  ought  to 
give  praise  to  God."  We  joined,  and  sung  a  hymn 
as  we  rode  along ;  and,  within  a  mile  of  the  river, 
we  again  encamped  for  the  night.  Here  we  received 
some  kindness  from  a  backwoods  settler.  He  gave 
us  corn,  and  milk,  and  some  potatoes. 

The  next  morning  we  set  oflf  early,  and  did  not 
stop  our  pace  till  just  before  sundown.  We  heard 
the  crack  of  a  rifle  a  short  distance  from  the  road. 
Mononcue  said  to  me,  ^^Taw-wa  Indians !"  We  turned 
off  to  a  little  branch,  and  found  them  there  encamped. 
We  went  to  a  large  bottom  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
above,  and  turned  out  our  tired  animals  to  a  fine  blue 
grass  pasture.    I  said  to  Gray-Eyes,  "Go  and  buy 


404 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIA  x\S. 


US  some  bear-meat  for  supper."  So  he  went,  and 
soon  returned  with  some.  The  rest  cooked,  and  I 
lay  down  to  rest,  tired  and  hungry.  I  said  to  my- 
self, "  Some  would  think  this  hard  fare ;  but  I  rejoice 
that  God  has  counted  me  worthy  even  to  be  a  teacher 
and  guide  to  the  poor  Indiar."  Here  my  soul  was 
filled  with  glory  and  with  God.  I  could  hardly  re- 
frain from  shouting.  I  continued  these  sweet  medi- 
tations till  brother  Mononcue  aroused  me  .'o  supper. 
He  had  made  soup,  and,  in  order  to  use  it,  he  also 
made  some  spoons  out  of  lynn  bark.  We  took  a 
hearty  meal,  said  our  prayers,  and  slept  sweetly  be- 
neath the  protection  of  God. 

The  next  day  we  reached  the  Big  Spring  reserve. 
Here  we  had  a  good  prayer  meeting ;  and  then  found 
our  way  to  the  mission. 

On  our  return  we  found  that  brother  Stewart  had 
gone  to  his  reward ;  and,  no  doubt,  he  rests  in  Abra- 
ham's bosom.  In  the  mean  time,  the  adversary  had 
been  at  work,  and  great  efforts  had  been  made  by 
the  heathen  party  to  oppose  our  religion,  and  to  es- 
tablish their  own.  They  now  became  organized  so 
as  to  have  meeting  every  Sabbath,  in  order  to  keep 
any  of  their  party  from  going  to  hear  the  Gospel, 
and  to  draw  oflf  all  that  were  weak  and  wavering. 
De-un-quot,  the  head  chief,  and  Warpole,  were  the 
principnl  men — both  of  the  Porcupine  tribe.  With 
them  they  connected  the  old  Cherokee-boy,  and  made 
Scionta  their  high-priest.  He  appointed  some  others 
as  bis  assistants,  to  sing  and  dance,  and  narrate  their 


HEATHEN    OPPOSITION. 


405 


and 
rid  I 

iny- 
joice  • 
icher 
1  was 
y  re- 
medi- 
ipper. 
3  also 
ook  a 
,lv  be- 

jserve. 
found 


traditions,  and  to  exhort  them  to  be  faithful  in  hold- 
ing on  to  their  fathers'  religion.  They  taught  that 
the  Great  Spirit  would  be  angry  with  them  if  they 
should  quit  it,  and  join  the  white  man's  book.  This 
book  was  not  sent  to  them,  nor  for  them,  or  else  they 
would  have  had  it  sent  in  their  own  language,  and  they 
would  have  been  taught  to  read  and  understand  it. 
They  said,  "  It  had  a  great  many  things  that  did  not 
fluit  people  that  hunted,  but  those  that  worked  the 
earth,  as  its  figures  were  suited  to  them  and  not  to 
us.  When  it  speaks  of  plowing,  and  sowing,  and 
reaping,  the  whites  understand  these  things,  and  the 
language  suits  them.  But  Avhat  does  an  Indian  know 
of  this?"  These,  and  many  other  such  arguments, 
were  brought  to  dissuade  and  draw  oflf  those  that 
were  ^uly  half  awakened.  Feasts  and  dancing  were 
held  almost  every  week.  The  drunkard's  yell  and 
the  Indian  flute  were  frequently  heard.  The  young 
men  and  women  painted,  and  employed  themselves 
in  riding  to  and  fro. 

The  chiefs  and  nation  had  become  dissatisfied  with 
the  sub-agent,  and  thought  him  unfit  to  manage  their 
concerns.  During  my  absence,  Between-the-Logs, 
Hicks,  Peacock,  Punch,  and  others,  had  preferred 
charges  against  him,  to  Colonel  Johnston.  lie  had 
written  to  them  that  he  would  come  in  March,  and 
see  them  face  to  face.  This  excitement  had  cooled 
the  flame  of  the  revival.  I  plainly  saw  that  there 
was  a  storm  ahead.  I  made  use  of  every  exertion 
to  prevent  it,  by  keeping  up  our  prayer  and  clabS 


406 


LIFS    AMONQ    THE    INDIANS. 


B 


meetings;  and  was  fully  and  ably  sustained  by  the 
mission  family,  especially  brother  Wm.  Walker  and 
Robert  Armstrong,  who  now  to  me  were  as  armor- 
bearers.  We  strove  to  keep  things  in  as  cool  a  state 
as  possible.  At  length  I  found  that  the  traders — 
who  were  in  the  habit  of  selling  liquor  to  the  In- 
dians— and  the  sub-agent,  were  combined  against  m 
and  the  mission.  They  asserted  that  I  was  at  the 
bottom  of  their  dissatisfaction,  and  that  it  was  through 
me  the  charges  were  preferred  against  the  sub-agent. 
But  at  this  I  felt  no  alarm,  for  I  was  conscious  that 
I  was  innocent. 

The  day  of  trial  came  on,  and  the  parties  mei  at 
the  mission  school-house.  I  was  not  present,  nor  had 
I  any  intention  of  attending,  unless  in  self-defense. 
A  vast  number  were  gathered;  and  when  Colonel 
Johnston  had  opened  the  council  by  reading  the 
charges,  the  Indians,  by  their  speaker,  Between-the- 
Logs,  said  that  they  were  unaccustomed  to  the  form 
of  trial,  and  would  not  be  able  to  do  themselves  jus- 
tice, and  asked  leave  of  Colonel  Johnston  to  select 
a  man  who  would  conduct  the  trial  for  them.  To 
this  Colonel  Johnston  readily  agreed;  and,  after  some 
little  counseling  among  themselves,  I  was  chosen  by 
them  for  that  purpose.  I  was  accordingly  sent  for 
and,  although  I  saw  plainly  the  delicate  situation  in 
which  I  was  placed,  I  agreed  to  act  with  them.  This 
t r  il  lasted  three  days. 

in  the  mean  time,  the  sub-agent  and  his  party  were 
triumphing  in  the  prospect  that  they  would  be  able 


MISSION    DEFENDED. 


407 


to  involve  me,  and  so  strike  a  fatal  blow  at  the 
mission.  But  after  the  business  of  examination  was 
over,  an4  the  pleadings  finished,  to  await  the  decision 
of  the  judge,  I  arose  and  requested  the  liberty  to 
speak.  I  then  stated  that  I  had  learned  that  the 
accused  and  his  party  intended  to  report  that  the 
opposition  of  the  chiefs  and  the  charges  originated 
with  me;  and,  as  I  was  there  as  the  organ  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  an  agent  for  the 
General  Government  in  the  application  of  the  money 
applied  by  the  Secretary  of  War,  and  held  a  very 
responsible  relation  to  both,  I  would  claim  it  as  a 
privilege  to  defend  myself  and  the  mission  family, 
'from  any  imputation  in  this  case.  I  knew  that  it 
was  not  my  place  to  prove  a  negative,  but  that  it 
was  the  place  of  my  accusers  to  prove  that  I  had 
actually  been  guilty.  Nor  is  it  often  in  the  power 
of  the  accused  to  prove  the  negative;  but  I  think 
I  am  able,  and  will  do  it,  with  your  permission. 

Colonel  Johnston  readily  granted  my  request,  and 
said  it  was  of  importance  to  me  and  my  work  that 
I  should  do  so,  if  I  could. 

I  then  proceeded,  "  Sir,  you  and  my  accusers  know 
that  I  can  not  converse  in  the  Wyandott  language, 
and  that,  in  conversing,  I  have  to  use  an  interpreter. 
Now,  sir,  here  they  all  are.  I  wish  you  to  swear 
them  all,  to  answer  the  agent  any  questions  that  he 
may  propose  to  them  on  that  subject.  If  they  all 
clear  me,  I  shall  be  clear  indeed."  This  was  done ; 
and  he  examined  them  all  under  oath,  and  they  all 


•^fm^mmmit 


torn 


mmmmm 


408 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


acquitted  me.  One,  only,  said  that  in  the  summer 
the  chiefs  mentioned  it  to  me,  through  him,  and  that 
1  dissuaded  them  from  any  such  course.  Those  men 
were  more  disappointed  than  any  men  I  ever  saw. 
They  were  confounded,  and  their  looks  spoke  fully 
t  .e  sensations  they  felt. 

I  then  asked  Mr.  Johnston  to  give  me  a  certificate 
of  this  investigation,  that  I  might  he  able  to  meet 
any  reports  on  the  subject,  which  he  readily  did. 

Having  passed  through  this  fiery  ordeal  without 
being  burnt,  I  felt  thankful  to  God.  In  the  midst 
of  all  the  opposition  of  the  savage  party,  and  the 
Indian  traders  and  whisky-sellers,  the  Church  was 
firm,  and  cleaved  close  to  God  and  one  another.  The  ' 
work  of  God  greatly  revived. 

Many  hard  and  evil  reports  were  raised  against 
me;  and  letters  were  written  to  Mr.  Calhoun,  Secre- 
tary of  War,  stating  things  that  were  false,  and 
every  effort  was  made  to  remove  me  out  of  the  way 
I  was  twice  told  by  the  Indians,  my  friends,  that  I 
must  be  on  my  guard,  for  there  were  men  employed 
to  seek  my  life ;  yet  I  harbored  no  fears,  nor  did  I 
stop  a  moment  from  the  discharge  of  my  duty  to  the 
Church,  poor  or  sick.  But  often  I  have  rode,  at  the 
hour  of  midnight,  from  the  sick-bed  of  one  patient 
to  another,  through  those  plains,  without  arms  or 
dread ;  believing  firmly  that  Daniel's  God  would  pre- 
serve and  deliver  me  from  my  enemies.  I  have  often 
been  made  to  praise  him,  from  the  great  peace  I  felt 
in  my  soul.    Casting  my  care  on  him,  and  trusting  him 


INDIAN    HONESTY  —  REVIVAL. 


401) 


ner 

hat 

nen 

jaw. 

^uUy 

icate 
meet 

thout 
midst 
A  the 
b  "was 
The* 


for  all  things,  I  have  frequently  met  the  drunkard* 
alone;  and,  instead  of  insulting  or  threatening  me, 
they  would  mostly  say,  ^^  Eewowwowah" — my  father. 

I  do  not  now  recollect  that  I  was  ever  insulted  by 
an  Indian,  drunk  or  sober,  during  all  the  time  I  was 
with  them;  nor  did  any  of  them  ever  manifest  any 
unkindness  toward  me.  The  heathen  party  did  not 
like  my  religion,  nor  my  course  in  establishing  a 
Church;  but  still  I  was  respected,  for  I  treated  all 
with  kindness  and  hospitality.  Indeed,  I  do  not  be- 
lieve that  there  are  a  people  on  the  earth,  that  are 
more  capable  of  appreciating  a  friend,  or  a  kind  act 
done  toward  them  or  theirs,  than  Indians.  Better 
neighbors,  and  a  more  honest  people,  I  never  lived 
among.  They  are  peculiarly  so  to  the  stranger,  or 
to  the  sick  or  distressed.  They  will  divide  the  last 
mouthful,  and  give  almost  the  last  comfort  they  have, 
to  relieve  the  suffering.     This  I  have  often  witnessed. 

After  our  return  home  it  pleased  the  Lord  to  pour 
out  his  Spirit  upon  the  mission  family,  and  upon  the 
nation.  Within  one  mouth  twenty-seven  adult  In- 
dians were  converted  to  God,  and  joined  the  Church. 
Prayer  meetings  were  held  at  the  different  Indian 
houses  three  times  every  week ;  and  at  almost  <)very 
meeting  some  were  awakened  and  converted  Wo 
had  formed  a  class  among  the  school  childr*  f,  and 
brother  William  Walker  was  their  leader.  Th  y  met 
in  class  once  a  week  in  the  school-house,  aid  the 
most  of  them  experienced  religion.  One  opening  I 
went  into  class,  and  we  had  not  been  the.  .  \  ery  long 


■  mwvr 


410 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


when  one  of  the  young  Indian  boys  was  called  upon 
to  pray ;  and  such  was  the  fervency  of  every  child, 
that  there  was  almost  a  universal  cry  for  raercy 
Several  came  and  caught  me  around  the  neck,  when 
on  my  knees,  and  praised  the  Lord  for  redeeming 
grace  and  dying  love.  In  the  evening,  between  sun- 
down and  dark,  these  small  children  would  retire  into 
the  bushes  for  private  prayer;  and  they  would  get  so 
happy  that  they  would  shout  the  praises  of  God. 
Others  would  go  to  them,  and  join  with^  them  in 
singing  and  praying,  till  we  would  have  to  carry 
some  of  them  to  the  house,  for  they  had  not  strength 
to  walk. 

I  have  noticed  that  the  girls,  before  they  retired  to 
sleep,  employed  themselves  in  relating  their  religious 
experience.  Frequently  one  of  them  would  rise  and 
relate  what  she  had  felt  during  the  day,  and  encour- 
age the  rest  to  follow  her  example.  They  would  talk 
over  their  trials,  and  encourage  each  other  to  be 
faithful  in  the  service  of  God.  They  would  then 
kneel  down,  and  pray  privately  before  they  went  to 
bed.  They  were  taught  the  Lord's,  and  other  short 
prayers.  Religion  appeared  to  be  their  constant 
theme;  and  when  they  went  home  on  a  visit  to  their 
parents  or  friends,  they  pursued  the  very  same  pious 
course.  Very  often  their  parents  were  reformed  by 
their  pious  conduct.  Singing  was  a  delightful  em- 
ployment to  them,  and  they  very  frequently  engaged 
in  it.  Their  mellow  voices,  and  the  animation  with 
iirliich  they  sang,  were  delightful.    The  influence  that 


nAKNAII    ARMSTRONG. 


411 


religion  had  on  their  conduct  was  easily  perceived. 
They  were  afraid  to  do  any  thing  wrong  lest  they 
should  be  reproached  by  others,  or  be  called  to  bn 
account  before  their  teachers  and  leaders.  I  spe  k 
advisedly  when  I  say,  that  I  never  saw  a  gr^-.p  of 
children  so  obedient  and  peaceable.  , 

This  spring  we  lost,  by  death,  one  of  our  favorite 
girls,  Hannah  Armstrong.  She  was  always  kind  and 
agreeable  in  her  manners;  had  a  mind  of  the  first 
order,  and  easily  learned  whatever  was  required  of 
her,  either  in  letters  or  domestic  economy.  When 
Hannah  was  under  conviction,  it  was  deep  and  evan- 
gelical. She  saw  herself  a  ruined  creature ;  and  that 
without  a  saving  interest  in  the  blood  of  Jesus,  she 
must  be  lost  forever.  Her  teacher,  sister  Barstow — 
now  Taylor — watched  over  her  with  the  kindest  at- 
tention, and  took  a  great  interest  in  her  situation. 
Seeing  that  Hannah  could  not  eat  or  rest,  she  asked 
her  what  was  the  matter;  when  the  girl  suddenly 
threw  herself  into  her  lap,  and  exclaimed,  "0,  my 
soul!  0,  my  soul!  I  want  a  Savior,  or  I  shall 
die."  Mrs.  Taylor  then  instructed  her  in  the  way, 
and  taught  her  how  to  repose  her  soul  upon  the 
Corner-stone.  It  was  not  long  before  this  dear  gir^ 
found  Jesus  precious  to  her  soul.  Her  joy  was 
greater  than  her  former  grief. 

Hannah's  race  was  short,  but  it  was  brilliant. 
Grace  sweetened  all  the  charms  that  nature  had  be- 
stowed upon  her.  She  shone  with  uncommon  luster, 
and  departed  this  life  while  I  was  absent  at  the  Gen- 


^iii-.'. 


412 


LIFE    AMONa    THE    INDIANS. 


eral  conference,  held  in  Baltimore.  The  following 
is  an  extract  of  a  letter  from  WXliam  Walker,  dated 
April  25, 1824: 

"  Alas  !  death,  stern  death !  has  robbed  the  mission 
f  f  one  of  its  brightest  ornaments.  I  can  anticipate 
your  feelings,  when  I  announce  to  you  the  death  of 
Hannah  Armstrong.  On  Monday,  the  19th  inst.,  at 
11  o'clock,  A.  M.,  her  fluttering  spirit  took  its  flight 
to  mansions  in  the  skies.  0,  what  a  situation  the 
bereft  parents  are  in!  I  have  seen  brother  Arm- 
strong; and  if  ever  sympathy  filled  my  heart,  it  was 
for  him. 

"  While  the  eager  parents  were  watching  the  hand 
of  death  cutting  down  the  most  beautiful  flower  in 
their  garden,  Hannah  saw  their  exceeding  grief;  and, 
although  in  the  pangs  of  death,  yet  the  kindness  of 
her  heart  would  cast  the  last  drop  of  comfort  into 
their  sorrowful  bosoms.  She  beckoned  for  her  father 
to  come  near  to  her.  He  did  so.  She  then  laid  her 
arm,  already  palsied  in  death,  around  his  neck,  and 
said,  *0,  father,  I  have  been  praying  all  the  time, 
and  all  is  well  with  me ;'  and  repeated,  '  All  is  well 
with  me  now:  weep  not.'  The  agonized  parents 
stood  over,  looking  to  see  her  latest  breath;  and,  in 
a  few  iiiinutes,  she  breathed  no  more,  but  winged  her 
mystic  flight  to  worlds  where  pleasures  never  die." 


Reader,   do    not   view   this    scene   as   transpiring 
among  those  who  have  had  all  the  means  of  grace; 


THE    WINTER     HUNT. 


413 


6ut  view  it  as  occurring  in  an  Indian  wigwam,  whore 
many  hardened  white  people  think  Christ  can  never 
come.  Blessed  be  tlio  God  of  Jacob,  for  he  is  no 
respecter  of  persons;  but  all  that  do  his  will,  fear 
liim,  and  work  righteousness,  shall  bo  accepted  of  him. 

In  the  fall,  after  our  conference  in  Urbana,  Be- 
tween-the-Logs  came  to  me  and  said,  that  he  and 
some  others  had  got  in  debt,  and  they  could  see  no 
way  of  extricating  themselves,  without  taking  a  win- 
ter's hunt;  and  asked  my  advice  what  they  should 
do.  I  told  him  that  J  should  be  very  unwilling  to 
part  with  him  and  them  so  long,  in  consequence  of 
their  services  in  the  Church ;  and  I  was  much  afraid 
that  they  would  grow  cold  in  religion,  and  be  tempted 
to  do  some  evil  that  would  bring  a  reproach  on  the 
good  cause  of  God,  and  throw  down  what  we  had 
been  so  long  trying  to  build  up;  for  to  scatter  the 
wood,  would  put  out  the  fire.  He  replied,  "  That  is 
true  of  some  kinds  of  wood,  but  there  are  other  kinds 
that  will  keep  the  fire  till  it  is  all  burned  up ;  and,  1 
hope,  we  are  of  that  kind.  As  to  myself  and  others, 
1  can  see  no  way  that  we  can  meet  the  demands 
against  us,  unless  we  can  make  it  in  the  woods." 
He  added,  that  the  party  had  concluded  to  go  to 
White  river  to  spend  the  winter;  and,  in  the  spring, 
they  would  come  nearer  home,  to  trap  and  make 
sugar. 

I  gave  Between-the-Logs  the  charge  of  the  party, 
to  watch  over  them,  to  hold  their  meetings  every  Sab- 
bath, and  by  no  means  break  the  Sabbath  in  any  way 


414 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


whatever;  to  see  that  family  prayer  be  always  kept 
up  in  every  tent,  morning  and  evening,  and  that  pri 
vate  prayer  be  not  neglected.  I  told  them,  "The 
whites  will,  if  they  can,  get  you  to  sin,  some  way, 
that  they  may  laugh  and  say,  *  These  Indians  are 
hypocrites,  and  have  no  religion.'  Be  always  on  your 
guard.  It  may  be,  that  you  will  meet  with  some  of 
your  Methodist  brethren,  and  other  Christian  friends. 
I  will  give  each  of  you  a  certificate  of  your  good 
standing  in  the  Church  at  the  mission.  This  will  give 
you  admittance  to  Methodist  meetings;  but  if  any  of 
you  forfeit  his  claim  to  this  certificate  by  sin,  Be- 
tween-the-Logs  has  the  power,  and  will  take  it  from 
you,  and  hold  it  till  you  return  home.  Then  you 
must  answer  for  your  conduct." 

I  well  knew^  that  the  white  settlers  on  the  frontiers 
had  great  objections  to  the  Indians  hunting  and  kill- 
ing the  game  in  their  vicinity,  and  would  often  do 
them  mischief.  This  was  my  greatest  fear  in  refer- 
ence to  this  party.  Strangers,  niid  far  from  home, 
they  might  be  made  to  suffer  for  depredations  commit- 
ted by  other  Indians ;  for,  in  retaliation,  the  Indians 
sometimes  killed  the  hogs  and  cattle  of  the  whites, 
and  it  would  often  terminate  in  murder.  But  know- 
ing the  prudence  and  purity  of  Between-the-Logs,  I 
felt  as  if  those  Indians  would  be  the  means  of  doing 
some  good. 

These  arrangements  being  made,  the  party  set  out 
for  '.heir  hunting-ground.  They  had  not  been  ioDg 
there  till  it  was  rumored   abroad   that  thei'e  were 


CHRISTIAN    STEADFASTNESS. 


415 


religious  Indians  hunting  on  White  river.  Every  Sab- 
bath, as  many  as  could,  would  meet  at  the  camp  of 
Between-the-Logs  for  meeting,  which  was  public  for 
all.  They  sang  a  hymn,  and  prayed,  and  then  ex- 
horted The  class  then  met,  and  the  congregation 
dispersed. 

Many  white  persons  were  leu  from  curiosity  to  go, 
on  Sabbath  days,  to  Indian  meeting  in  the  woods ;  and 
the  Lord  convicted  somo  of  their  sins.  They  could 
not  move  them  from  the  strictest  observance  of  every 
Christian  rule  and  duty — especially  to  keep  the  Sab- 
bath holy.  They  frequently  came  to  trade,  on  the 
Sabbath,  for  meat  and  other  things;  but  could  not 
induce  them  in  any  way  to  barter.  A  company  came, 
one  Sabbath,  as  I  was  afterward  told  by  one  of  the 
party,  and  insisted  on  trading.  Between-the-Logs 
went  to  his  saddie-bags,  and  pulled  out  his  Bible; 
and,  although  he  could  not  read  one  word  of  it,  yet 
he  said  it  was  always  good  company,  if  a  man  could 
not  read,  to  have  the  word  of  God  with  him,  and, 
perhaps,  he  could  get  some  one  that  could  read  it. 
He  had  marked  the  chapter  which  contained  the  ten 
commandments.  He  opened  at  the  place,  -iid  asked 
one  of  them  if  he  could  read,  and  handed  him  the 
book.  At  this  the  man  turned  pale,  and  did  not  wish 
to  touch  it;  but,  at  the  urgent  request  of  the  other, 
read  the  fourth  commandment. 

"Now,"  said  the  chief,  "you  white  men  have  read 
this  book  all  your  lives,  and  are  taught  to  read  it, 
and  understand  that  you  must  keep  God's  day  holy. 


416 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


Here  you  are  trying  not  only  to  break  this  law  of 
God,  but  to  get  us  poor  Indians  to  do  po  too.  Of  this 
you  ought  to  be  ashamed;  and  never  do  so  again. 
Your  example  to  your  families  and  friends  is  bad; 
and  you  will  have  a  great  deal  to  answer  for  at  God's 
judgment,  if  you  keep  on  in  this  course.  Now  we 
wish  you,  and  all  our  friends,  to  know  that  we  have 
learned  better.  When  we  were  in  the  dark,  we  did 
not  know  one  day  from  another.  But  the  light  of 
heaven  shined  on  our  path,  and  has  shown  us  that 
it  is  good  for  our  souls,  and  bodies,  and  horses,  and 
all,  that  we  should  stop  one  day  in  seven,  and  think, 
and  pray,  and  look  to  our  hearts,  to  untie  them  from 
the  things  of  this  world,  for  they  are  naturally  much 
inclined  to  stick  fast  to  this  world.  God  Raw  it  was 
best  to  take  one  day  to  loose  them,  and  keep  them 
ri^^^t.  If  this  is  not  done,  they  will  soon  grow  fast. 
Then  nothing  will  do  but  tearing,  and  this  is  hard 
work.  I  believe  God  is  right,  and  he  has  done  it 
for  the  good  of  us  all;  and  we  ought  to  keep  his 
good  word,  so  that  it  will  be  well  with  us;  for  I  am 
told  that  this  book  says,  if  we  do  not  keep  his  com- 
mandments, we  shall  never  enter  into  his  house  above. 
My  white  brothers,  go  home,  and  never  go  to  trade 
again  on  the  Sabbath.  You  will  find  it  better  with 
you  in  this  wc  'J,  and  in  the  world  to  come." 

It  wos  said,  by  one  of  the  party,  that  he  never  was 
so  astounded  in  oil  his  life,  as  when  thus  reproved  by 
a  poor  Indian.  Soon  the  Indians  commenced  their 
usual  public  meeting.     Their  white  visitors  staid  till 


A    PLEASANT    INTERVIEW. 


417 


all  was  over ;  and  went  away  determined,  by  the  grace 
of  God,  to  lead  new  lives,  and  keep  the  Sabbath, 
and  teach  others  to  do  so.  It  is  believed  that  many 
of  the  settlers  in  this  new  part  of  the  world,  were 
aroused  to  reflection  and  repentance,  when  they,  saw 
their  conduct  reproved  by  the  piety  of  these  Wyan- 
dotts. 

Sum-mun-dc-wat  amused  me,  after  he  came  home, 
by  relating  a  circumstance  that  transpired  one  cold 
evening,  just  before  sundown.  "  I  met,"  said  he,  "  on 
a  small  path,  not  far  from  my  camp,  a  man  who  ask 
me  if  "^  could  talk  English.  I  said,  *  Little.'  He  ask 
mi  L  y  far  is  it  to  a  house?'  I  answer,  'I  don't 
know — may  be  ten  miles — may  be  eight  miles.'  *Is 
there  &.  path  leading  to  it?'  *No — by  and  by  dis  go 
out,  [pointing  to  the  path  they  were  on,]  den  all 
woods.  You  go  home  me — sleep — me  go  show  3  ou 
to-morrow.'  Then  he  come  my  camp— so  take  horse- 
tie — give  him  some  corn  and  brush — then  my  wife 
give  him  supper.  He  ask  where  I  come.  I  say, 
*  Sandusky.'  Re  hay,  *You  know  Finley?'  *Yes,' 
I  say,  *he  is  :.  v  '>rjlher — my  father.'  Then  he  say, 
*He  is  my  I'v)  ./v  Then  I  feel  something  in  my 
heartburn.  I  say,  'You  preacher?'  He  say,  *  Yes;' 
and  I  shook  hands  and  say,  *My  brother!'  Then 
we  try  wr  Then  I  sa^ ,  '  You  sing  and  pray.'  So 
he  did.  Then  he  say  tc  me,  *  Sing  and  prpy.'  So  I 
did;  and  I  so  much  cry  I  can't  pray.  No  go  sleep — 
I  can't — ^I  ?*ic-';ft — my  heart  full.     All  night  I  pray, 

and  praise  C?'     f  r  his   send  me  preacher  to  sleep 

27 


418 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS 


my  camp.  Next  morning  soon  come,  and  he  want 
to  go.  Then  I  go  show  him  through  the  woods,  till 
come  to  big  road.  Then  he  took  me  by  hand  and 
say,  *  Farewell,  brother;  by  and  by  we  meet  up  in 
lieaven.'  Then  me  cry,  and  my  brother  cry.  We 
part — I  go  hunt.  All  day  I  cry,  and  no  see  deer 
jump  up  and  run  away.  Then  I  go  and  pray  by 
some  log.  My  heart  so  full  of  joy,  that  I  can  not 
walk  much.  I  say,  *I  can  not  hunt.'  Sometimes  I 
sing — then  I  stop  and  clap  my  hands,  and  look  up 
to  God,  my  heavenly  Father.  !'"  ^  the  love  come 
so  fast  in  my  heart,  I  can  hardly  nd.  So  I  went 
home,  and  said,  *  This  is  my  happiest  day.' " 

This  party  returned  home  after  sugar-making,  in 
the  spring;  and  brought  with  them  the  same  holy 
flame  of  love  they  took  away.  Perhaps  no  people 
enjoyed  more  of  the  comforts  of  divine  grace,  accord- 
ing to  the  number  of  professors,  than  these  Indians. 
They  were  faithful  in  all  the  means  of  grace,  and 
were  alive  to  God  in  their  ^.ouls,  both  old  and  young. 
The  conversion  of  their  friends  and  relations  to  God, 
always  added  a  new  spring  to  their  zeal  and  comfort. 

But  while  the  cause  of  religion  was  advancing,  the 
enemy  was  not  asleep.  Great  exertions  were  still 
made  to  keep  all  the  nation  from  being  converted  to 
God.  The  wicked  traders  in  ardent  spirits  around 
the  reserve,  found  that  their  craft  was  in  danger ;  and 
the  pagans,  to  keep  up  an  appearance  of  good,  on 
their  part,  came  out  against  drinking  whisky;  and 
taught,  in  their  meetings,  that  eveVy  man  ard  woman 


ANTIC  II  RISTIAN    EFFORTS. 


419 


of  their  party  should  quit  it  entirely,  as  it  did  not 
belong  to  the  religion  of  the  Indian  god,  but  was 
reserved  for  the  whi'i;e  man,  by  whom  it  was  devised^ 
and  their  God,  who  brought  it  among  the  Indians; 
that  their  fathers  never  knew  it  till  the  white  man 
and  his  religion  and  book  were  brought  among  them. 

The  two  parties  seemed  to  be  agreed  in  denouncing 
the  Christian  religion,  though  from  different  motives: 
the  heathen  from  the  love  of  sin,  and  the  whites  from 
the  love  of  gain.  The  traders  affected  to  ridicule  all 
religion,  and  laugh  at  the  Indians  for  their  credulity 
in  believing  things  because  the  preachers  told  them 
00.  They  said  there  were  no  such  things  as  com- 
man'^  nents  in  the  Bible;  for  God  gave  them  to  Moses 
on  two  stone  slates,  and  Moses,  being  mad  with  the 
children  of  Israel,  threw  them  down,  and  they  were 
broken  to  pieces ;  and  God  would  not  give  any  mor<}. 
All  the  lies  that  could  be  uttered  by  the  tongue  of 
slander  were  heaped  on  the  missionaries  and  the  min- 
isters of  religion.  Some  joined  in  this  malicious 
outcry,  who  would  be  much  ashamed  now  to  see  theii 
names  in  public  print,  associated  with  these  misrepre- 
sentations. 

The  Indian  dances  were  revived,  and  three  or  four 
were  held  each  week.  Some  of  the  weakest  of  the 
flock  were  led  to  them,  which  made  the  savage  party 
rejoice,  believing  I  would  take  their  naines  off  the 
Church  book,  and  expel  them  from  the  Church,  and 
that  they  would  have  them  at  their  will ;  but  I  chose 
another  course.    Instead  of  using  any  harsh  means,  I 


CI 


420 


LIFE    AMONG    IHE    INDIANS. 


was  more  kind  to  them  than  ever  ;  and  when  a  proper 
opportunity  offered,  I  would  tell  them  how  sorry  I 
was  that  they  had  taken  this  misstep.  I  endeay 
ored  to  convince  them  that  they  were  wrong,  and  that 
they  must  not  be  discouraged  at  this  fall;  for  it  is 
common  with  children,  when  they  begin  to  walk,  to 
stumble,  and  sometimes  fall  and  hurt  themselves  very 
much;  but  still  they  were  not  discouraged  so  as  not 
to  try  to  walk  again.  "Now,  your  friends  have  used 
their  influence  to  get  you  away ;  but  I  forgive  you, 
and  hope  you  will  do  so  no  more."  Then  I  would 
appeal  to  themselves,  if  they  did  not  feel  better  when 
they  prayed,  and  were  at  a  good  prayer  meeting,  than 
they  did  when  they  were  at  a  feast  or  dance.  Some- 
times I  asked,  "  At  which  would  you  rather  be  found 
when  you  come  to  die?"  "Prayer  meeting,"  was 
always  the  reply.  "Then  do  you  not  see  it  is  the 
best;  and  why  do  you  not  foJlow  it?"  I  seldom 
failed  to  get  them  back,  and  foil  the  others  in  their 
purposes. 

There  are  no  people  that  appreciate  kindness  more 
than  Indians;  and  the  man  who  expects  to  do  any 
thing  with  an  Indian,  must  do  it  by  kindness.  There 
is  no  other  avenue  to  his  heart.  To  force  an  Indian 
into  measures,  is  to  compel  him  to  dissimulation.  If 
he  thinks  he  is  not  able  to  withstand  your  power, 
he  will  wait  till  he  has  the  vantage-ground.  Then 
you  will  feel  the  force  of  the  revenge  that  has  burned 
in  his  soul.  It  will  burst  like  a  volcano,  when  yoa 
are  least  aware  of  it.    But  kindness  works  on  their 


FRIENDSHIP  —  IMPROVEMENTS. 


421 


roper 
»rry  I 
ideav 
d  that 
r  it  18 
ilk,  to 
iB  very 
as  not 
re  used 
jQ  you, 
;  would 
>T[  -when 
ig,  than 
Some- 
)e  found 

g,"  ^as 

It  is  the 

seldom 
lin  their 

}8S  more 

do  any 

There 

Indian 

lion.    K 

power, 

Then 

burned 

len  you 

ion  their 


feelings,  and  unstrings  the  fierce  passions  of  the  soul. 
Friendship  will  never  be  forgotten.  "Mi/  friend^'*  is 
an  endearing  title  among  savage  tribes;  and  unless 
willfully  and  wantonly  broken  off,  will  last  in  the 
midst  of  the  greatest  dangers  and  trials.  It  is  not  an 
fmpty  sound,  as  with  the  civilized  world  in  general, 
to  last  as  long  and  no  longer  than  it  can  be  used  for 
personal  advantage.  But  kindness  has  often  dis- 
armed the  savage,  and  made  him  lay  down  his  instru- 
ments of  death,  when  the  blow  was  ready  to  be 
struck. 

The  Indians  turned  their  attention,  this  spring,  to 
the  improvement  of  their  farms,  and  to  the  building 
of  comfortable  houses.  A  number  of  hewed  log- 
houses  were  put  up,  with  brick  or  stone  chimneys ; 
and  great  exertions  were  made  to  inclose  large  fields, 
for  raising  grain  and  grass.  Many  purchased  sheep ; 
and  means  were  taken  to  improve  their  breed  of  cat- 
tle and  hogs.  With  the  means  in  their  hands,  1  be- 
lieve they  did  do  all  they  could  to  provide  for  the 
future,  without  following  the  chase ;  for  they  clearly 
Biw  that  the  vast  influx  of  white  population  would 
soon  fill  up  all  their  hunting-ground ;  and  that  they 
must  starve,  unless  they  could  procure  the  means  of 
living  at  home.  The  mission  furnished  all  the  means 
in  its  power  to  facilitate  this  good  work.  Their 
wagons,  oxen,  plows,  and  all  that  could  be  spared 
were  lent  freely;  and  the  missionaries  themselves 
took  all  the  pains  they  could,  to  show  them  the  best 
methods  of  cultivation.     They  even  went  in  person 


ssam 


M 


422 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


to  house-raisings,  and  log-rollings,  and  took  hold  ana 
said,  "  Come  on^  mi/  friends." 

This  course  gave  great  encouragement.  When  they 
saw  a  man  in  a  pinch,  they  would  help  him  out,  and 
manifest  an  interest  in  every  thing  that  had  a  tend- 
ency to  promote  their  welfare.  They  did  not  affect 
any  superiority,  but  came  down  to  a  perfect  neigh- 
borhood and  citizenship.  They  borrowed  and  lent, 
ate  and  drank,  visited  and  lodged  together  as  one 
family.  This  identified  the  whole  missionary  estab- 
lishment v.':ch  the  Indian  and  his  interests.  To  this 
^establishment  they  looked  for  help  and  instruction  in 
all  things  appertaining  to  their  spiritual  and  temporal 
concerns.  My  colleague  gave  himself  almost  wholly 
to  the  farm ;  and  he  conducted  it  in  such  a  way  as  to 
set  the  whole  nation  a  good  example. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  internal  arrangements  of 
the  mission  family  were  so  conducted  as  to  furnish  a 
pattern  of  piety — of  usefulness  and  industry.  The 
girls  made  good  proficiency  in  the  art  of  housewifery, 
and  in  learning  to  read,  write,  knit,  sew,  spin,  and 
weave.     All  within  was  peace  and  prosperity. 

We  were  much  in  want  of  a  place  of  worship,  as 
there  was  no  proper  meeting-house.  Sometimes  we 
worshiped  in  the  old  council-house,  as  the  largest  and 
most  roomy.  This  was  an  open  building,  made  of  split 
slabs,  laid  between  two  posts  stuck  in  the  ground, 
and  covered  with  bark  peeled  from  the  trees.  No 
floor  but  the  earth,  no  fireplace  but  a  hearth  in  the 
middle,  and  logs  laid  on  the  ground  on  each  side  for 


VISIT    TO    WASHINGTON. 


428 


ma 

hey 

and 

end- 

ffect 

jigh- 

lent, 

;  one 

jstab- 

0  this 

ion  in 

iporal 

jvhoUy 

^  as  to 

its  of 
:nish  a 
The 
ifery, 
and 

lip,  as 
les  we 
ist  and 
)f  split 
ground, 
No 
I  in  the 
tide  for 


seats      In  the  winter  we  met  in  the  mission  school- 
house,  which  was  much  too  small. 

On  my  tour  to  the  ea.8t,  I  visited  the  City  of  Wash- 
ington, in  company  with  the  Rev.  David  Young. 
Here  I  had  an  interview  with  President  Monroe,  and 
gaVe  him  such  information  as  he  wished,  as  to  the 
state  of  the  mission,  and  Indians  in  general.  I  had 
also  an  introduction  to  John  C.  Calhoun,  Secretary 
of  War,  and  was  treated  with  great  kindness  by  this 
honorable  man.  He  took  a  deep  interest  in  Indian 
affairs,  and  gave  me  much  satisfactory  information 
respecting  the  different  missions  in  progress  among 
the  Indians ;  the  amount  of  money  expended  on  each 
establishment,  and  the  probable  success.  I  made  an 
estimate  of  the  cost  of  our  buildings,  and  he  gave  me 
the  Government's  proportion  of  the  expense,  which 
amounted  to  one  thousand,  three  hundred  and  thirty- 
three  dollars.  I  then  asked  him  if  it  would  be  im- 
proper to  take  that  money,  and  build  a  good  church 
for  the  benefit  of  the  nation.  His  reply  was,  that  I 
might  use  it  for  building  a  church ;  and  he  vnshed  it 
made  of  strong  and  durable  materials,  so  that  it 
might  remain  a  house  of  worship  when  both  of  us  are 
no  more.  This  work  was  performed,  and  the  house 
was  built  out  of  good  limestone,  thirty  by  forty  feet, 
and  plainly  finished.  So  these  people  have  had  a 
comfortable  house  to  w^orship  God  in  ever  since.  It 
will  stand,  if  not  torn  down,  for  a  century  to  come. 


.*t- 


424 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANA. 


Ill 


, 


U£l« 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

BISHOPS   M'KENDREE    AND   SOULE    IN  COUNCIL 
WITH  THE   INDIAN  CHIEFS. 

During  the  session  of  the  General  conference  at 
Baltimore  in  1824,  a  missionary  meeting  was  held  on 
the  evening  of  the  11th  of  May.  The  assembly  was 
large,  and  the  venerable  Bishop  M'Kendree  presided. 
Many  distinguished  persons  Avere  present,  and  the 
meeting  was  one  of  remarkable  interest. 

Addresses  were  delivered  by  Messrs.  Reece,  Han- 
nah, and  Capers,  after  which  I  was  called  up  to  tell 
about  the  work  of  God  among  the  Wyandotts.  I 
felt  confounded.  It  seemed  absurd  for  me  to  at- 
tempt to  speak  a^ter  such  thrilling  addresses  had  been 
delivered;  but  my  friends  insisted  on  my  proceeding. 

I  commenced  telling  how  we  preached  among  the 
poor  Indians,  and  what  eflfect  it  had  produced;  how 
we  lived,  what  privations  we  endured,  and  what  pleas- 
ure we  had  in  prosecuting  our  labors.  I  went  on  to 
show  that  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  was  adapted  to 
the  condition  of  men  m  any  situation;  and  that  the 
preaching  of  this  Gospel  is  the  only  means  which 
can  be  successfully  employed  in  the  civilization  of 
man,  wherever  he  lived,  whether  in  the  city  or  in  the 
wilderness;  consequently,  our  missionary  societies  and 


6UMMERFIELDS    SPEECH. 


425 


missionaries  promote  civilization  as  well  as  religion. 
These  truths  I  illustrated  by  Avhat  I  had  witnessed 
myself  in  our  new  settlements  and  among  the  Indian 
tribes. 

These  remarks  opened  a  fine  field  for  the  eloquence 
of  Summerfield.  He  told  us  he  was,  in  company  with 
another  Methodist  preacher,  sent  as  a  missionary  to 
some  uncultivated  district  of  Ireland.  They  traveled 
on  foot,  preached  in  the  market-places,  and  then  from 
house  to  house.  They  cried,  "Behold,  behoid  tlie 
Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world !" 
In  one  of  these  little  towns,  after  they  had  preached, 
they  looked  for  somebody  to  invite  them  home.  He 
got  an  invitation;  but  his  colleague  stood  on  the 
street  for  some  time.  At  length  a  poor  woman  came, 
and  asked  him  to  her  hovel.  It  was  thatched  with 
straw;  and  there  was  a  table,  and  a  stool,  and  some 
straw  ii'  the  corner,  on  which  the  family  slept.  They 
accommodated  their  preacher  with  the  best  they  hud. 
In  the  morning  the  poor  woman  thought  she  must 
get  the  preacher  some  breakfast  before  he  went.  She 
made  a  bannock — cake — of  oatmeal,  and  put  it  to 
bake.  Then  she  went  out  to  buy  a  half-pennyworth 
of  tea.  While  she  was  gone,  a  poor  w^oman  who  had 
been  convicted  under  the  word  they  had  preached, 
came  to  be  prayed  for.  They  both  kneeled  down  by 
the  stool,  and  while  the  missionary  was  praying,  the 
landlady  came  in ;  she  laid  down  her  tea,  and  kneeled 
down  too ;  and  they  were  all  soon  praying.  The  wo- 
men wept  and  prayed  so  loud,  that  they  waked  the 

36 


426 


LIFK    AMONG    THE    INDIA  I(  8. 


child  in  the  straw.  The  missioruiry  took  up  the  child 
and  pacified  it.  He  looked  toward  the  fire,  and  saw 
the  bread  burning.  lie  then  walked  on  his  knees, 
and  turned  the  cake.  The  women  still  prayed  on 
till  God  blessed  them  both.  Then  the  woman  gave 
the  minister  his  breakfast.  "Thus,"  added  this  elo- 
quent man,  "the  missionary  hushed  the  child,  turned 
the  bread,  and  God  converted  the  mourners.  He  ate 
his  morsel,  and  went  on  his  way  rejoicing.  This  is 
the  glory  of  God's  ministers,  to  suffer,  and  see  the 
poor  converted  to  God  through  the  powerful  Gospel." 
He  then  proceeded  to  take  up  the  collection,  and 
observed  that,  although  many  present  had  paid  for 
tickets  of  admission,  yet  he  would  not  dismiss  the 
congregation  without  giving  all  an  opportunity  to  be 
the  happy  participants  in  so  glorious  a  work.  He 
said,  that,  on  a  certain  occasion,  he  was  at  one  of  the 
missionary  meetings  where  Dr.  Clarke  was,  and  there 
happened  to  be  in  the  congregation  an  old  aunt  with 
her  little  niece,  to  whom  she  had  given  a  shilling  for 
a  pocket-piece,  and  a  penny  to  throw  into  the  collec- 
tion. While  the  Doctor  was  speaking  of  the  schools 
in  India,  and  how  the  children  were  opposed  by  their 
parents  from  going,  so  that  they  often  had  to  take  off 
their  clothes,  and  swim  the  creeks  to  get  to  school, 
the  little  girl  would  look  up  and  say,  "  Aunt,  may  I 
not  throw^  in  the  shilling?"  The  aunt  would  reply, 
"A  penny  is  enough  for  a  little  girl.  Keep  your 
shilling  for  a  pocket-piece ;"  but  she  would  ask  again, 
"Aunt,  may  I  not  throw  in  the  shilling?"  but  the 


ANECDOTE    OF    WM.    WIRT. 


427 


child 

1  saw 

;nee8, 

jd  on 
gave 

s  elo- 

urned 

le  ate 

'his  is 

ee  the 

)8pel." 

jiy  and 

lid  for 

iss  the 
to  be 
He 

of  the 
there 
t  with 
ng  for 
collec- 
chools 
their 
keoff 
chool, 
may  1 
reply, 
youi 
again, 
t  the 


aunt's  reply  was  still  the  same,  "A  penny  is  enough 
for  a  litttlo  girl  to  throw  in."  Soon  the  plate  for 
collection  came  round,  and  the  liltle  niece  let  fly  her 
money  into  the  plate,  and  then  looked  up  into  her 
aunt's  face,  and  exclaimed  aloud,  "  Aunt,  the  shilling 
would  go  in."  "Now,"  said  he,  "let  fly  your  dol- 
lars, and  keep  your  cents."  It  seemed  as  if  all  the 
money  in  the  house  would  go  in. 

Among  the  persons  of  distincti'^n  seated  upon  the 
platform  was  the  Hon.  William  Wirt.  He  was  deeply 
interested  in  the  exercises,  and  subsequently  ex- 
pressed his  great  gratification  at  having  enjoyed  so 
rare  an  opportunity.  A  curious  anecdote  is  told  of 
him  n  this  occasion.  He  was  a  swarthy-looking 
mai  Some  of  the  Wyandott  chiefs  were  expected 
to  be  present,  but  were  prevented  by  circumstances 
which  they  could  not  control.  This  was  not  under- 
stood by  all,  and  Mr.  Wirt  was  taken  by  some  for  an 
Indian  chief.  One  lady  was  overheard  saying  to  an- 
other, as  she  pointed  toward  Mr.  Wirt, 

"  That  is  Between-the-Logs." 

To  this  the  other  replied : 

"  He  has  rufiles  in  his  bosom ;  and  a  Christian  In- 
dian would  not  wear  them." 

"0  yes!"  replied  the  first,  "I  have  no  doubt  he 
would  on  such  occasions  as  this." 

So  they  settled  it  that  Mr.  Wirt  was  »n  Indian. 
When  told  of  it  next  day  he  was  much  amused. 

Bishops  M'Kendree  and  Soule,  in  company,  vis- 
ited the  mission  this  year;  and  not  only  carefully 


wmim 


KSi 


mmm 


'V 


428 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


inspecte  i  its  operations,  but  held  a  council  with  the 
chiefs  of  the  nation. 

Of  this  visit  Bisbop  Soule  gave  the  following  ac- 
count : 

"We  arrived  at  the  mission  house  on  Fridav  even- 
ing,  and  found  the  family  and  school  children  in  tol- 
erable health.  Saturday  we  visited  the  farm,  the 
location  of  which  is  delightful  and  convenient.  They 
have  reaped  a  small  crop  of  wheat  and  oats,  and  have 
about  sixty  acres  of  corn  growing,  as  fine  in  ap- 
pearance as  any  I  have  seen  in  the  western  coun- 
try. They  have  also  raised  a  fine  crop  of  flax,  and 
have  a  great  variety  and  abundant  supply  of  vege- 
tables. Three  very  important  purposes  are  answered 
by  this  department  of  the  missiona\*y  establishment. 
The  family  and  school  are  supplied  with  bread  by 
their  own  Ipbor ;  the  boys  are  furnished  with  an  op- 
portunity and  the  means  of  acquiring  a  practical 
knowledge  of  agriculture;  and  an  example  is  ex- 
hibited to  the  Indians,  who  frequently  visit  the  farm, 
and  observe  the  manner  of  cultivation,  and  the  ad- 
vantages arising  from  it;  and  rothing  is  more  obvious 
than  their  disposition  to  imitate.  Hence  their  fields 
are  opening,  and,  in  many  instances,  present  the  most 
pleasing  and  promising  appearances.  The  buildings 
on  the  farm  are  neat  and  convenient,  but  not  suflS- 
ciently  roomy  for  the  accommodation  of  the  increas- 
ing household.  They  will,  therefore,  be  under  the 
necessity  of  enlarging.     They  milk  ten  cows,  and 


BISHOP  soule's  account. 


429 


make  plenty  of  butter  for  the  use  of  the  family, 
which  is  composed  of  about  seventy  persons. 

"Sabbath  we  attended  public  worship  with  ther  . 
A  large  number  of  the  Indians  assembled,  some  of 
whom  came  sixteen  miles,  which  is  their  regular  prac- 
tice on  the  Sabbath.  Bishop  M'Kendree  preached 
to  them  by  an  interpreter,  and  I  addressed  them,  after 
him,  through  the  same  medium.  Prior,  however,  to 
the  opening  of  the  meeting  in  English,  Mononcue 
prayed,  and  they  sang  a  hymn  in  their  own  language. 
After  the  regular  exercise,^  were  closed,  they  held  a 
prayer  meeting,  in  whicii  a  number  of  the  Indians 
prayed  in  the  most  solemn,  impressive,  and  aflfecting 
manner.  It  was  truly  delightful  to  notice  the  solem- 
nity, attention,  and  pious  feelings  of  this  assembly, 
so  recently  emerged  from  the  ignorance  and  stupidity 
of  their  pagan  state.  After  four  or  five  hours  em- 
ployed in  devotional  exercises,  it  was  with  manifest 
reluctance  that  many  of  them  retired  from  the  house 
of  prayer.  Devotion  appears  to  be  their  delight.  In 
view  of  such  a  scene,  my  heart  kindled  with  gratitude 
to  the  Father  of  mercies,  and  I  was  ready  to  exclaim, 
with  pleasing  admiration,  '  What  hath  God  wrought !' 

"Monday  we  visited  the  school,  and  examined  into 
the  progress  of  the  boys  and  girls  in  their  learn- 
ing; and  the  result  was  most  encouraging.  They 
spell  and  read  with  great  propriety.  Several  classes 
are  reading  in  the  Testament,  and  one  large  class  in 
the  Preceptor  or  English  Reader.  They  are  also 
making  great  proficiency  in  writing.     Of  their  native 


430 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


w 


genius  and  vivacity,  they  give  demonstrative  evidence. 
Indeed,  I  am  persuaded  that  I  never  saw  an  equal 
number  of  children  together  in  any  school,  where 
there  was  a  greater  display  of  intellect,  or  a  more 
obvious  capacity  of  improvement;  and  I  am  certain 
I  never  saw  a  school  where  there  was  equal  subor- 
dination, peace,  and  quietness.  The  boys  engage  in 
the  various  labors  of  the  farm  with  readiness,  cheer- 
fulness, and  propriety;  and  we  had  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  the  girls  sew,  spin,  and  weave,  and  variously 
employed  in  the  business  of  the  family ;  in  all  which, 
considering  their  opportunity,  they  certainly  excelled. 

"  Tuesday  we  met,  agreeably  to  previous  invitation, 
a  number  of  the  Indian  leaders,  among  whom  were 
several  of  the  chiefs,  and  the  moderator  in  the  na- 
tional councils,  together  with  two  interpreters.  After 
opening  the  meeting  with  prayer.  Bishop  M'Ken- 
dree  informed  them  that  we  should  be  glad  to  hea? 
from  them  how  the  Church  was  prospering,  the  state 
of  the  school,  and  whether  any  thijg  more  could  be 
done  for  its  prosperity ;  with  any  other  matters  which 
they  might  wish  to  communicate;  assuring  them  that 
we  were  their  friends,  and  would  be  glad  to  do  them 
all  the  good  in  our  power.  After  the  interpreter  had 
fully  informed  them  of  our  wishes,  a  momentary 
pause  ensued,  when  they  arose  and  spoke  in  succes- 
sion, as  follows : 

^*  Mononcue.  *My  old  brothers,  I  have  many  rea- 
sons to  praise  God  for  myself  and  for  my  nation.  1 
believe  that  God  has  be^jun  a  great  work,  and  hope 


mokoncue's  testimony. 


431 


ence. 

jqual 

yhere 

more 

srtain 

ubor- 

ge  in 

jheer- 

ire  of 

iously 

which, 

celled, 

tation, 

I  were 

he  na- 
After 

rKen- 

0  heal 
state 

luld  be 

which 

that 

them 

r  had 

ntary 

ucces- 

rea- 

)n.     1 

hope 


he  will  carry  it  on.  I  hiave  tried  to  talk  to  my  peo- 
ple, and  to  pray  for  them.  If  I  know  my  own  heart, 
it  is  my  intention  to  be  wholly  for  the  Lord.  I  be- 
lieve that  religion  is  in  a  prosperous  state ;  that  those 
who  have  professed  are  generally  .  steadfast.  The 
wicked  have  been  taught  that  there  is  no  half-way 
place  for  them.  I  often  feel  infirm  and  weak,  but  1 
trust  in  God.  My  constant  prayer  to  God  is,  that 
his  work  may  revive,  that  his  people  may  be  blessed, 
and  that  the  wilderness  may  flourish.  I  am  sorry 
that  some  of  the  older  brethren  are  absent,  who  could 
speak  better,  and  could  give  you  more  information. 
I  am  not  able  to  communicate  my  own  mind.  Lrother 
Finley  will  be  able  to  give  you  better  information 
than  I  can. 

"  Last  spring,  when  brother  Fiiilcj  was  gone,  there 
was  some  difficulty.  We  seemed  to  be  discouraged, 
and  were  like  children  without  a  father;  and  some 
were  disposed  to  go  away.  The  wicked  Inulans  were 
encouraged  by  his  absence,  and  did  all  they  could  to 
turn  away  others  who  were  weak,  from  the  right  way ; 
but  since  his  return-  things  have  become  better,  and 
are  now  nearly  as  prosperous  as  they  were  before. 
I  believe  that  God  has  appointed  our  brother  Finley 
for  this  mission.  All  those  who  are  religious  in  the 
nation,  if  they  were  here,  would  speak  the  same 
thing.  The  people,  in  general,  arc  attentive  to  the 
word:  and  many  come  a  great  way  to  meeting;  and 
I  believe  there  will  be  a  great  work  of  God.  I  am 
thankful  that  my  old  brothers  have  sent  brother  Fin* 


432 


LlfE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


ley,  and  hope  they  will  not  take  him  away.  They 
might  send  a  better  man,  but  they  can  not  send  one 
BO  well  acquainted  with  the  affairs  of  the  Indians. 
We  know  him,  and  he  knows  us,  and  can  live  like 
us.  I  believe  every  brother  in  the  nation  is  praying 
for  brother  Fi.nley  to  stay. 

"Many  of  our  old  people  are  rejoicing  for  the 
blessings  of  the  school ;  for  the  great  change  which 
has  been  produced  by  it.  Before  the  school  was  set 
up,  our  children  were  wild,  like  the  beasts  of  the 
wilderness.  They  are  not  so  now ;  but  are  tame  and 
peaceable.  I  have  seen  many  of  the  children  on 
their  knees,  praying  in  secret.  We  old  people  can 
not  expect  much  benefit  from  the  school  ourselves; 
we  are  too  old  to  learn;  we  shall  soon  go  to  rest. 
But  the  children  will  rise  up  improved;  and  the 
school  and-  religioi-  will  improve  and  benefit  the  na- 
tion in  future  generations." 

^^  Punch.  *I  wish  to  say  a  few  words  to  our  broth- 
ers.' I  am  weak ;  but  God  requires  no  more  than  he 
has  given,  and  I  have  great  encouragement  when  I 
consider  the  many  promises  of  God,  and  the  power 
he  has  to  fulfill  his  promises.  There  is  a  great 
change  in  the  nation  since  the  word  of  God  came 
among  us.  Our  people  are  very  different  from  what 
they  were  before.  They  do  not  speak  as  they  did, 
nor  act  as  they  did.  The  work  speaks  for  itself. 
The  people  are  more  industrious  and  attentive  to 
their  business.  They  used  to  live  by  hunting  in  the 
wilderness,  and  were  wild;  but  now  they  work  with 


PEACOCK — SUM-MUN-DE-WAT. 


483 


They 
d  one 
dians. 
e  like 
raying 

)r   the 
which 
ivas  set 
of  the 
me  and 
jen  on 
pie  can 
rselves ; 
to  rest, 
tnd  the 
the  na- 


their  hands  to  provide  comfortable  things  for  the 
body.' 

^^ Peacock.  *  I  thank  God  for  the  privilege  of  meet- 
ing with  our  brothers  to-day.  I  have  but  a  few  words 
to  speak.  God  has  done  great  things  for  us.  The 
people  are  greatly  chaaged  in  their  way  of  living. 
I  was  a  long  time  between  two  opinions,  whether  X 
should  hold  on  to  the  old  way,  or  embrace  the  new. 
But  God  directed  me  to  the  right  way,  and  since  that 
I  have  always  been  determined  to  hold  on.  I  shall 
not  live  long,  and  can  do  but  little.  But  I  hope  the 
young  ones,  who  are  springing  up,  will  carry  on  the 
work.  I  am  much  attached  to  our  brother  Finley; 
and  1  suppose  the  reason  is,  because  it  was  under 
his  prayers  and  exhortations  that  I  was  brought  to 
know  the  truth.  And  this  is  the  case  with  many  of 
t:he  nation.' 

"  Sum-mun-de-wat.  *  I  am  thankful  to  God  that  he 
has  been  so  kind  as  to  bring  our  old  gray-headed 
brother  to  us  again.  I  will  inform  our  old  brothers, 
that  though  I  am  young  in  the  cause,  I  enjoy  the 
love  of  God  My  tongue  is  too  weak  to  express 
what  God  has  done  for  me,  and  for  my  people.  The 
providence  of  the  Great  Spirit  was  wonderful  in  send- 
ing the  Gospel  among  us,  in  preparing  the  way  before 
it  came,  that  it  might  be  understood.  No  longer  ago 
than  I  can  remember,  and  I  am  young,  we  had  a  way 
of  W'^ship.  But  it  was  all  outward,  and  there  was 
nothing  in  it  to  reach  the  heart.  Those  who  taught 
us  would  say  good  things,  and  say  and  do  bad  things. 

28 


i 


434 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


But  now  they  live  as  they  speak,  and  tne  people  arc 
affected.  They  weep;  and  their  hearts,  and  words, 
and  actions  are  changed. 

"The  school  will  be  a  great  blessing.  The  chil- 
dren learn  to  read  the  word  of  God,  and  to  work 
with  their  hands,  and  to  be  good.  Some  day  they 
will  rise  up  to  preach  the  word,  and  teach  the  nation. 
It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  mighty  change  which 
has  taken  place.  Go  into  families  morning  and  even- 
ing, and  you  hear  them  praying  for  the  spread  of  the 
Gospel  in  the  wilderness;  and  many  weeping  and 
rejoicing  for  what  God  has  done.  This  is  all  God's 
work.  He  will  continue  it.  We  must  be  faithful, 
and  leave  it  all  to  him.  My  word  is  very  feeble; 
but  my  brothers  can  draw  out  my  mind,  and  know 
what  I  mean;  and  they  will  excuse  the  weakness 
of  my  speech.' 

"  Gray-Eyes.  *  My  language  is  weak,  and  I  have 
not  much  to  say.  My  brothers  will  excuse  the  weak- 
ness of  my  words.  My  heart  rejoices  every  day  for 
what  God  has  done  in  the  wilderness,  and  I  believe 
he  will  carry  on  the  work.  Some  are  too  much  in- 
clined to  go  away  into  the  wilderness  to  hunt,  and 
this  weakens  their  religion ;  but  this  is  wearing  away, 
and  the  people  are  more  disposed  to  work  with  their 
hands,  to  make  fields  and  houses,  and  have  things 
comfortable.  The  providence  of  God  is  wonderful 
in  providing  before,  two  men,  by  i"hom  we  could 
understand  the  good  word  when  it  came  among  us. 
We  thank  God  for  what  he  has  done.     He  has  done 


BIG-TREE  —  WASHINGTON. 


435 


all — b*"   has  provided  all  the  good  things  which  we 
want.' 

''*' Big- Tree,  'I  am  young,  but  I  wish  to  say  a  few 
words.  God  has  done  a  great  work  in  this  wilder- 
ness, which  but  a  short  time  past  was  in  great  dark- 
ness. There  is  now  much  zeal  in  his  ways.  When 
you  go  into  families  you  hear  the  old  people  and  the 
young  people  talking  about  this  good  work,  and  what 
God  has  done  for  them.  When  our  brother  was 
preaching  last  Sabbath,  and  telling  what  effect  the 
good  word  had  wherever  it  went,  I  looked  back  and 
remembered  what  we  were  before  the  word  of  the 
Lord  came  among  us,  and  what  effect  it  had.  Many 
witnesses  were  there  of  the  truth  of  our  brother's 
word.  The  school  is  a  great  blessing.  When  ray 
little  children  come  home  from  the  school,  they  talk 
about  the  good  things  they  have  learned.  They  are 
very  much  altered — much  better  than  they  were.  I 
ha>  e  been  a  very  bad  man,  but  God  has  changed  my 
heart,  and  I  now  love  God,  and  wish  to  do  right,  and 
do  good  to  my  people  and  to  all  men.* 

"  Washington.  '  This  has  been  a  very  wicked  place. 
Much  wickedness  has  been  committed  here.  And  I 
have  been  a  very  wicked  man ',  but  now,  when  I  go 
round  among  those  who  are  very  bad,  I  J5nd  them 
sober,  and  praying,  and  weeping,  and  striving  to 
serve  the  Lord,  and  live  well.  Religion  is  some 
times  high,  and  sometimes  low.  They  do  not  always 
get  along  alike.  But  God  is  carrying  on  his  work, 
and  I  believe  it  will  prosper.     Some  people  ask  why 


'.yiw^r 


■mipaiiiaiPB 


486 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


I- 


we  are  so  fond  of  our  brother  Finle}'?  I  suppose 
it  is  because  we  have  been  blessed  through  his  la- 
bors.* 

^^  Driver.  *I  wish  to  speak  a  few  words.  I  am  like 
one  set  out  to  follow  a  company  that  has  gone  before. 
But  I  have  much  cause  to  bless  God  that  I  have  set 
out;  and  since  I  started,  I  have  always  been  determ- 
ined to  hold  on,  and  live  according  to  the  good  word. 
Sometimes  there  are  little  jars  in  the  Church,  as 
there  will  be  among  children.  But  when  these  jars 
take  place  we  pray  to  God,  and  peace  is  restored. 
God  has  done  a  great  work  for  me,  and  for  .the  nation. 
Sometimes,  through  the  eye  of  faith,  I  can  view  the 
beauties  of  heaven ;  and  I  rejoice  in  the  prospect  of 
it.  I  believe  God,  who  has  begun  this  work,  will 
carry  it  on;  and  that  the  school  is  the  place  from 
which  the  word  of  God  will  start  out.  And  I  pray 
God  to  bless  the  children,  and  make  them  teachers 
and  leaders  of  the  nation.' 

"  Two-Logs.  '  Brothers,  I  am  thankful  to  you  for 
coming  so  far  to  see  us,  and  to  know  what  God  is 
doing  for  us ;  and  I  thank  God  for  sending  you,  and 
preserving  you  on  your  way.  Brothers,  you  desire 
to  know  our  state.  But  to  let  you  know  what  our 
present  state  is,  I  must  go  back  and  tell  you  what  we 
were  before  the  word  of  God  came  among  us.  Broth- 
ers, it  is  not  a  great  while  ago  that  we  were  a  very 
wicked  people — we  were  lost,  and  in  darkness  in  the 
wilderness.  We  were  bad,  and  doing  every  thing 
that  was  bad;  but  then  we  were  baptized,  and  sung, 


TWO-LOGS  —  JOSEPH     WILLIAMS.       437 


and  danced,  and  pretended  to  be  religious.  But  the 
religion  we  had  then  did  not  make  us  better  men. 
Here  you  see  us — we  were  all  wicked  men — we  got 
drunk,  and  did  every  bad  thing.  Our  wickedness  was 
too  bad  to  describe ;  but  we  did  not  do  all  these  things 
with  a  wicked  design.  We  did  not  know  that  all  this 
that  we  did  was  wrong.  We  hope  the  Great  Spirit 
will  excuse  some  things,  because  we  were  ignorant. 
Brothers,  I  have  told  you  what  we  were;  I  will  now 
tell  you  the  change.  The  Great  Spirit  sent  a  good 
man  among  us  to  teach  us  the  true  religion  of  the 
word.  He  was  taken  away,  and  another  was  sent. 
The  word  took  hold,  and  the  old  practices  were  given 
up,  and  bad  men  became  good  men.  In  the  old  state 
the  men  and  women  lived  almost  like  the  beasts;  but 
now  they  are  married,  and  live  according  to  the  wOrd. 
And  the  men  love  and  keep  their  wives,  and  the 
women  love  their  husbands;  and  they  live  together 
in  peace,  and  love  and  take  care  of  their  children. 
Brothers,  you  can  now  judge  for  yourselves.  The 
work  speaks  for  itself.  Blessed  be  the  Great  Spirit 
for  all  he  has  done  for  us.' 

^^  Joseph  Williams.  *I  wish  to  speak  a  few  words. 
My  brothers  have  spoken  of  the  work.  I  believe 
that  all  the  members  would  speak  and  say  that  the 
Lord  has  done  wonders.  The  darkness  has  given 
way,  and  the  light  of  heaven  shines.  The  work  is  its 
own  evidence,  and  God  will  carry  it  on.* 

"  Mononcue  then  rose,  and  closed  the  communica- 
tions on  the  part  of  the  Indians,  as  follows :  *  My  old 


■M 


438 


LIFE    AMONQ    THE    INDIANS. 


brothers,  you  have  heard  your  young  brothers  oi  the 
wilderness  in  their  way.  You  can  now  judge  for 
yourselves  what  the  state  of  the  Church  is,  and  what 
is  necessary  for  us.  Brothers,  we  are  weak  and  help- 
less in  every  thing,  and  need  help  and  advice  from 
you.  I  am  sorry  our  old  brothers  are  not  here ;  but 
I  will  make  one  request,  and  I  am  sure  the  whole 
nation  would  speak  the  same ;  let  our  brother  Finley 
continue  with  us.  If  he  should  be  taken  away,  the 
wicked  would  grow  strong,  and  the  weak  members 
would  be  discouraged.  The  school  would  be  weak ; 
and  the  little  children  would  come  round  him  and 
weep,  as  if  their  father  was  leaving  them.  We  ask 
that  he  may  be  continued  with  us.  Death  will  soon 
part  us — we  shall  not  live  long ;  but  I  hope  we  shall 
all  ■  meet  in  heaven,  and  be  happy  forever.  I  thank 
the  good  people  every-where,  who  have  been  kind  in 
helping  us,  and  sending  the  good  word  to  us;  and 
those  who  have  fed,  clothed,  and  taught  our  children. 
And  I  pray  that  the  work  of  the  Lord  may  continue 
and  increase,  and  that  all  the  children  of  the  wilder- 
ness may  receive  the  blessed  word.' 
.  "Here  closed  this  dignified  chief;  but  his  noble 
soul  was  full  and  overflowing  with  his  subject.  Never 
did  feelings  more  pure  animate  the  heart  of  man,  for 
they  were  evangelical.  With  a  countenance  beaming 
with  all  he  felt,  and  with  eyes  flowing  with  tears,  he 
left  his  seat,  and  flew  to  embrace  us.  The  scene  was 
indescribable.  After  they  had  closed  their  talk,  we 
addressed  them  collectively,  expressing  our  satisfac- 


POWER    OF    TUB    GOSPEL. 


439 


tion  and  pleasure  in  meeting  them,  and  in  hearing 
from  them  the  things  which  they  had  communicated, 
and  especially  in  visiting  the  school,  and  noticing  the 
improvement  of  their  children.  At  the  same  time 
they  were  encouraged  to  persevere,  both  in  religion 
and  civilization. 

"This  truly  interesting  and  profitable  interview 
being  closed,  we  dined  together  in  the  dining-room 
of  the  missionary  family,  and  then  parted  with  those 
feelings  of  Christian  fellowship  which  are  not  often 
experienced  in  the  circle  of  the  rich  and  the  gay.  It 
is  the  order  in  the  missionary  establishment,  for  the 
missionaries,  their  wives,  the  hired  men  and  women 
attached  to  the  mission,  the  Indian  children,  with 
visitors  of  every  color  and  every  rank,  to  sit  down  at 
table  together;  and  no  subordination  is  known  but 
what  arises  from  age  or  ofiice. 

"After  spending  such  a  week,  every  day  of  which 
developed  new  and  interesting  subjects — a  week,  in 
which,  for  the  first  time,  I  became  an  eye  and  ear 
witness  of  the  power  of  the  Gospel  over  savage  man — 
in  which,  for  the  first  time,  I  heard  the  praises  of 
Jehovah  from  lips  which  had  never  pronounced  a 
written  language — I  shall  never  think  of  Sandusky 
without  pleasing  recollections. 

"  Before  I  close,  I  will  observe  that  the  talk  of  the 
Indians,  as  previously  noticed,  was  taken  down  as  the 
interpreter  gave  it,  and  as  nearly  in  his  words  as  his 
imperfect  knowledge  and  use  of  the  English  language 
would  admit.     The  whole  talk  of  Sum-mun-de-wat, 


410 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


of  Driver,  and  of  Two-Logs,  is  almost  verbatim  M 
delivered. 

"After  the  talk  was  closed,  the  two  interpreters 
were  invited  to  a  room,  and  the  whole  >^as  carefully 
read  over  to  them,  for  the  purpose  of  examination, 
and  they  pronounced  it  to  be  correct.  I  am,  how- 
ever, confident  that  many  valuable  ideas  and  figura- 
tive beauties  are  lost  by  the  translation,  especially  as 
the  interpreters  have  but  a  very  imperfect  acquaint- 
ance with  our  language." 

Thus  the  good  work  of  Christianizing  and  civilizing 
these  poor  savages  had  steadily  progressed.  I  had 
no  help  but  the  Indian  brethren.  Sometimes  we 
enjoyed  seasons  of  great  power  and  glory.  The 
heavens  seemed  to  pour  righteousness  upon  us. 

The  school  prospered  exceedingly  under  the  labors 
of  Mr.  Walker.  No  man  could  be  more  devoted  to 
his  work  than  this  young  man ;  and  his  heart  was 
made  glad  to  see  this  mighty  reformation  in  his 
nation.  The  female  department  was  formerly  com- 
mitted to  my  wife  and  sister  Hooper,  who  were  well 
Qalculated  for  the  work.  Many  of  the  largest  girls 
had  learned  to  sew,  knit,  spin,  and  weave.  Under 
their  care,  there  was  manufactured  at  the  mission 
house,  by  the  girls,  upward  of  two  hundred  yards  of 
linsey,  flannel,  and  linen. 

Under  the  direction  of  brother  Hooper,  the  farm 
had  produced  corn  and  vegetables  sufficient  to  meet 
the  demand  of  the  next  year. 


I  farm 
meet 


ENCOURAQINQ    PROSPECTS. 


441 


Thus  the  affairs  of  the  mission,  both  temporal  and 
spiritual,  continued  to  prosper.  The  work  spread 
among  some  of  the  Wyandott  settlements,  in  Michi- 
gan, and  every  thing  gave  promise  of  the  conversion 
und  civilization  of  the  entire  nation. 


corn- 
well 
girls 
Fnder 
ission 
Is  of 


J 


412 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

REMOVAL   OF  THE   WYANDOTTS  PROPOStb 

I  WA^  returrtcd  to  the  mission  in  1824,  with  Rev. 
Mr.  Hooper  for  a  colleague. 

A  plan  had  been  projected  for  removing  the  In- 
dians west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  this  was  a  source  of 
great  uneatjiness  and  perplexity,  both  to  the  mission  - 
aries  and  the  natives.  After  years  of  toil  and  suf- 
fering, we  had  succeeded  in  gathering  a  few  lambs 
into  the  fold  of  the  heavenly  Shepherd,  and  how 
could  we  bear  to  see  them  scattered  abroad  again? 
If  they  should  be  suffered  to  remain  on  their  reserva- 
tions, and  receive  proper  treatment  from  the  white 
population,  we  did  not  entertain  a  doubt  but  that 
ultimately  they  would  become  completely  civilized 
and  Christianized.  But  'heir  removal  to  distant  re- 
gions must  greatly  peril,  if  it  did  not  utterly  destroy 
that  hope. 

The  Indians  were  utterly  opposed  to  a  removal; 
and  our  chiefs  add/essed  an  earnest  remonstrance  to 
tae  War  Department  upon  the  subject.  In  their  com- 
munication they  reminded  the  Secretary  that  at  the 
treaty  of  Fort  Meigs  they  were  most  sacredly  prom- 
ised, that  if  they  would  cede  all  their  lands,  except 
the  present  reservations,  they  would  never  be  spoken 


ADDRESS  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT.   443 

to  again  on  this  subject;  that  Governor  Cass  prom- 
ised, in  the  most  solemn  manner,  that  the  President 
would  make  a  strong  fence  around  them,  and  main- 
tain thorn  in  the  peaceable  and  quiet  possession  of 
that  spot  forever;  that  now  they  were  making  prog- 
ress in  religion,  and  in  the  cultivation  of  their  lands; 
their  children  were  at  school,  and  promised  to  make 
good  citizens;  that  they  were  now  happy,  and  well 
satisfied. 

The  following  is  the  reply  from  the  Department. 
It  bears  the  date  of  March  24,  1825.  We  insert  it 
entire,  because  it  illustrates  the  spirit  and  manner 
in  which  these  negotiations  with  the  Indians  were 
carried  on  by  our  Government : 


*' Friends  and  Brothers, — Your  talk  to  your 
Great  Father,  the  President  of  the  United  States, 
of  the  7th  of  this  month,  has  been  received  and  read 
by  him. 

t  "  Brothers,  your  Great  Father  takes  his  Wyandott 
children  by  the  hand.  He  thanks  them  for  their 
greeting  of  health  and  peace,  and  offers  you,  in  re- 
turn, his  best  wishes  for  your  prosperity  and  hap- 
piness. 

"  Brothers,  your  Great  Father  is  very  much  pleased 
to  hear  of  your  improvement,  and,  especially,  that 
you  are  learning  to  reverence  the  Great  Spirit,  and 
to  read  his  word,  and  obey  its  directions.  Follow 
what  that  word  directs,  and  you  will  be  a  happy 
people. 


444 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


"Brothers,  your  Great  Father  takes  a  deep  inter- 
est, as  you  do  yourselves,  in  the  prosperity  of  your 
childien.  They  will  be  certain  to  grow  up  in  wis- 
dom, if  you  continue  to  teach  them  how  to  serve  the 
Great  Spirit,  and  conduct  themselves  well  in  this 
world.  In  all  this  the  word  of  the  Great  Spirit 
should  be  your  guide.  You  must  teach  them  to  love 
peace ;  to  love  one  another ;  to  be  sober.  You  must 
instruct  them  how  to  plow  the  ground,  sow  the  seed, 
and  reap  the  harvest;  you  must  teach  them  how  to 
make  implements  of  husbandry,  and  for  all  the  me- 
chanic arts;  your  young  women  you  must  teach  to 
spin  and  weave,  and  make  your  clothes,  and  to  man- 
age your  household ;  your  young  men  to  labor  in  the 
shops,  and  in  the  fields ;  and  to  bring  home  all  that 
you  may  need  for  the  support  of  your  families.  Add 
to  all  this,  the  fear  and  love  of  the  Great  Spirit,  and 
obedience  to  his  word,  and  be  at  peace  with  one 
another,  and  you  will  be  a  happy  people. 

"  Brothers,  your  Great  Father  is  glad  that  you 
have  so  good  a  man  3S  the  Rev.  Mr.  Finley  aL^ong 
you.  Listen  to  his  words.  Follow  his  advice.  He 
will  instruct  you  in  all  these  things. 

"  Brothers,  your  Great  Father  will  never  use  force 
to  drive  you  from  your  lands.  What  Governor  Cass 
told  you,  your  Great  Father  will  see  shall  be  made 
good.  The  strong  fence  which  he  promised  you  at 
the  treaty  of  Fort  Meigs,  should  be  put  around  your 
lands,  and  never  be  broken  down,  never  shall  be,  by 
force  or  violence.     But  your  Great  Father  will  not 


ADDRESS    CONCLUDED. 


445 


compel  you  to  remain  where  you  are,  if  you  think 
it  better,  at  any  time,  to  settle  elsewhere. 

"Brothers,  on  this  part  of  your  talk,  your  Great 
Father  directs  me  to  send  you  a  small  book,  which 
Mr.  Finley  will  read  and  explain  to  you.  You  will 
see  from  it  what  his  views  are  on  the  subject  of 
making  the  Indians  a  great  and  happy  people.  But; 
he  will  never  force  you  into  the  measure,  but  will 
leave  it  to  your  own  discretion.  As  reasonable  chil- 
dren, he  thinks  you  will  see  a  great  deal  of  reason 
in  this  small  book,  and  that  your  best  interests  are 
connected  with  a  compliance  with  what  it  recom- 
mends. But  be  happy,  and  fear  nothing  from  your 
Great  Father.  He  is  your  friend,  and  will  never 
permit  you  to  be  driven  away  from  your  lands.  He 
never  will  fall  upon  a  poor,  helpless,  red  child,  and 
kill  it,  because  it  is  weak.  His  heart  is  not  made 
of  such  cruelty.  He  would  rather  protect  and  de- 
fend it,  and  care  the  more  for  it,  because  of  its  help- 
lessness. 

"Brothers,  your  Great  Father  greets  you  as  his 
children,  and  bids  me  tell  you,  you  will  find  him  in 
all  things  kind  and  merciful  to  you.  He  sends  you 
his  best  wishes  for  your  improvement  and  happiness." 


The  minds  of  the  Indians  being  somewhat  quieted 
on  the  subject  of  removal,  things  in  the  mission  re- 
sumed their  accustomed  course. 

There  were  now  two  things  necessary  to  promote 
the  civilization  of  the  Indians.     ]first,  the  establish- 


446 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


ment  of  the  school  among  them  on  a  permanent  basis. 
To  this  the  Government  kindly  lent  its  aid,  making 
an  appropriation  yearly,  for  the  payment  of  school 
teachers.  The  other  was  the  division  of  "^^he  lands. 
Heretofore  the  land  in  the  reservation  belonged  to 
the  nation,  and  consequently  no  individual  could  hold 
property  in  it.  Its  equitable  division  so  that  each 
individual  might  have  an  ownership  in  the  soil,  would 
contribute  to  make  each  family  stationary,  and  also 
beget  an  ambition  to  improve  their  property.  Thus 
a  new  stimulus  to  the  development  of  civilized  life 
would  be  secured.  In  proposing  this  I  had  the  cor- 
dial approbation  of  General  Cass,  who  ever  proved 
himself  the  sincere  friend  of  the  Indian.  In  a  letter 
to  me,  he  said,  "I  think  the  contemplated  measure 
of  dividing  a  portion  of  the  Wyandott  reservation 
among  the  several  families,  is  a  very  judicious  and 
proper  one.  By  securing  to  each  the  products  of  his 
labor,  enterprise  and  industry  will  be  stimulated  and 
rewarded.  A  community  of  property,  unless  under 
very  peculiar  circumstances,  is  unfavorable  to  per- 
manent and  valuable  improvements." 

At  the  close  of  this  year  I  found  the  subject  of  the 
removal  of  the  Wyandotts  was  still  agitated.  Gen- 
eral Cass  had  invited  me  to  communicate  freely  with 
him  on  all  interests  relating  to  the  Indians.  I  there- 
fore prepared  a  statement  exhibiting  the  condition 
and  claims  of  the  Wyandottd,  and  the  reasons  why 
they  ought  hot  to  be  removed,  which  I  forwarded 
to  Washiiigton.    I  give  the  communication  in  fuUj 


I 


ADDRESS    TO    GENERAL    CASS. 


447 


for  subsequent  events  have  only  more  fully  convinced 
me  of  the  justic'^  of  the  views  expressed  in  it.  It 
was  dated  at  Upper  Sandusky,  T'ecember  lo,  1825, 
and  was  addressed  to  General  Cass : 


"Honored  Sir, — I  take  this  opportunity  of  writ- 
ing to  you  on  the  claims  of  the  Indians  under  my 
care,  at  this  place;  and  am  htippy  to  state  that  the 
work  of  civilizing  this  nation  is  progressing  as  fast 
as  can  be  reasonably  expected.  The  Indians,  in 
general,  and  the  chiefs  particularly,  are  using  every 
exertion  to  improve  their  lands,  and  to  follow  the 
instructions  of  the  general  Government,  especially 
the  advice  given  by  yourself,  to  divide  the  lands, 
agreeable  to  the  provisions  made  in  the  treaty  of 
Fort  Meigs.  This  plan  of  division,  I  think,  is  fully 
agreed  on  by  the  whole  nation;  and  last  summer 
they  employed  a  surveyor  to  lay  off  a  certain  por- 
tion into  sections  and  half  sections.  And  it  is  the 
request  of  the  chiefs,  that  you  would  use  your  influ- 
ence to  obtain  some  aid  to  finish  this  work.  It  is 
agreed  by  all,  that  individual  possession  will  facilitate 
the  great  work  in  which  we  are  engaged.  In  making 
these  people  an  agricultural  people,  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  all  the  necessary  aid,  both  in  money  and  advice, 
will  be  furnished.  And.  I  think,  it  will  not  be  doubted 
or  disputed  that  th'i,  Iiandful  of  Indians  have  great 
and  lasting  claims  o  »  .his  Government. 

"1.  As  a  conquer. d,  subdued  enemy,  who  were 
once   a  strong   and  powerful   nation,  to   whom   the 


IMPq 


mma 


mmmmmmm 


448 


LI^E    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


pleasant  homes  we  now  enjoy  once  belonged,  they 
have  strong  claims  on  our  generosity.  They  con- 
tended for  their  country — as  we  would  have  done  had 
we  been  in  their  places — as  long  as  they  could.  But 
the  overwhelming  population  of  whites  has  well-nigh 
swallowed  them  up.  They  have  given  up  their  whole 
country,  except  a  small  reserve,  on  which  the  bones 
of  their  fathers  sleep.  This  they  would  never  have 
done  willingly,  but  because  they  could  not  help  them- 
selves ;  and  it  would  seem  as  though  we  were  making 
a  contract  with  them,  but  they  must  submit  to  our 
proposition  in  view  of  their  helpless,  forlorn,  and 
dependent  state.  In  view  of  what  they  have  been, 
they  possess  some  strong  claims. 

"2.  Since  Wayne's  treaty  at  Greenville,  the  Wyan- 
dotts  have  been  faithful  friends  to  our  Government; 
and,  in  the  last  war,  did  their  part  in  resisting,  as 
agents,  the  combined  power  of  Indian  and  British 
warfare.  Many  of  their  men  fell  in  battle,  or  died 
with  sickness,  and  left  their  familie>^  and  friends 
destitute.  - 

"3.  They  have  claims  from  this  consideration, 
*  Blessed  are  the  merciful,  for  they  shall  obtain  mercy.' 
The  Wyandotts,  although  not  behind  the  first  in  bat- 
tle, were  more  merciful  than  their  neighbors.  They 
saved  more  prisoners,  and  purchased  many  from 
other  Indians,  and  adopted  them  into  their  families, 
till  they  are  much  mixed  with  white  blood ;  and  some 
of  the  best  families  in  our  country  are  allied  to  them; 
namely,  the   Browns,  an   old  Virginia  family;   the 


ADDRESS    CONCLUDED. 


449 


Zancs,  another  well-known  family;  Walker,  of  Ten- 
nessee; Williams,  Armstrong,  M'Cullou^h,  and  Ma- 
gee,  of  Pittsburg.  This  handful  of  Indians  are 
mostly  the  descendants  of  our  own  people.  Their 
fathers  were  citizens,  and  why  not  their  children? 
Shall  we  not  show  mercy  to  our  own? 

"4.  Their  present  prospect  for  civilization  is  very 
promising;  and  little  doubt  can  be  entertained  but,  in 
a  short  time,  these  people  will  be  well  prepared  to  be 
admitted  as  citizens  of  the  state  of  Ohio;  and  to 
remove  them  just  at  this  time,  contrary  to  their 
wishes,  would  be,  in  my  judgment,  a  most  cruel  act. 
It  would  be  undoing  what  has  been  done,  and  throw- 
ing them  again  into  a  savage  state. 

"5.  The  promises  made  by  the  commissioners,  in 
the  name  and  faith  of  the  President  and  Government, 
that  if  they  would  cede  all  their  fertile  lands  but  this 
spot,  the  Government  would  never  ask  them  for  a 
foot  more,  or  to  sell  it  and  n.ove;  but  that  the  Gov- 
» ernment  would  build  a  strong  fence  around  their 
land,  which  should  neve  be  broken ;  and  this  proniise 
was  one  strong  inducement  to  them  to  sell  their  lands. 
Such  strongly-plighted  faith  ought  to  be  most  sa- 
credly observed. 

"  My  dear  sir,  these  are  some  of  the  reasons  why 
I  think  these  Indians  have  strong  claims  on  the  Gov- 
ernment. I  have  done  as  you  lequested.  I  have 
spoken  fully  and  freely  my  mind.  May  the  blessings 
of  Heaven  rest  upon  you  and  your  labors  for  the  good 

of  the  red  man !" 

29 


iiMiPMaai 


■PHRPWHB 


450 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


I  have  reason  to  believe  that  General  Cass  fully 
sympathized  with  my  views  and  feelings.  But  Gov- 
ernment interests  and  Government  policy  were  more 
potent  than  justice  and  right.  Consequently,  a  line 
of  action  was  followed,  which  eventually  brought 
about  the  evil  we  strove  to  avert.  I  was  assured 
that  no  steps  would  be  taken  "  to  compel  the  Indians 
to  emigrate."  But  it  was  urged  that  "their  future 
happiness  and  prosperity  depended  upon  their  hav- 
ing a  country  of  their  own,  in  which  they  will  be 
free  forever,  from  the  encroachments  and  injuries  to 
which  they  are  now  liable,  from  their  proximity  to 
the  whites."  Such  were  the  honeyed  phrases  with 
which  Government  oflScials  sought  to  sugar  over  the 
bitter  pill  that  was  then  preparing  for  the  unfortunate 
Indian. 

This  reminds  me  of  an  anecdote  of  old  Black-Hoof, 
the  Shawnee  chief.  After  the  Shawnees  had  sold 
their  land  at  Waupaukonetta,  on  being  asked  if  he 
was  agreed  to  it,  he  said,  "No."  "Why,  then,  did. 
you  sellV"  "Why,"  said  he,  "because  the  United 
States  Government  wanted  to  buy  and  possess  our 
lands,  and  remove  us  out  of  the  way.  I  consented, 
because  I  could  not  help  myself;  for  I  never  knew 
them  to  undertake  any  thing,  but  that  they  accom- 
plished it.  I  knew  that  I  might  as  well  give  up  first 
as  last,  for  they  were  determined  to  have  it."  So,  it 
seems  this  poor  savage  thought  that  promises  and 
pledges  of  the  public  faith  will  not  prevent  those 
who  have  the  power  from  wresting  out  of  the  pos- 


PRETEXT    FOR    MOVING    THE    INDIANS.    451 


session  of  poor  and  defenseless  Indians,  their  prop- 
erty and  homes,  and  with  these  all  their  earthly 
comfort. 

My  readers  will  easily  perceive  that  it  was  the 
design  of  the  Government  to  remove  the  Indians, 
if  it  could  be  done  peaceably.  They  can  see  the 
effect  it  must  have  on  our  infimt  establishment.  It 
was  calculated  to  discourage  and  throw  all  our  plans 
and  prospects  to  the  ground.  I  had  taken  this  proj- 
ect under  a  careful  investigation,  and  had  fixed  in 
my  mind  what  course  to  pursue.  I  could  very  easily 
see  that  all  the  fair  prospects  held  out  Avere  for  mere 
effect.  To  remove  the  Indian  where  he  would  be 
free  from  the  encroachment  of  white  men,  was  a 
flimsy  vailing  of  the  real  object.  Who  can  stop  the 
march  of  the  white  population?  Neither  mountains, 
deserts,  seas,  rivers,  nor  poles.  To  talk,  therefore, 
of  giving  the  Indian  a  country  where  he  will  be 
delivered  from  the  advances  and  impositions  of  the 
low^est  and  worst  class  of  our  citizens,  is  chimerical. 
Did  it  ever  enter  into  the  waking  thoughts  of  the 
wise  politicians  of  the  day,  that  this  could  or  would 
be  the  case?  The  answer  is  obvious.  But  there 
must  be  some  pretext  for  moving,  and  these  moon- 
shine pretensions  will  do  to  allure ;  but  men  of  sober 
sense  Avill  view  the  whole  as  questionable. 

If  the  good  of  the  red  man  was  their  object,  is 
there  not  a  much  better  opportunity  to  counteract 
the  evils  to  which  he  is  exposed,  where  the  laws  of 
the  Government  can  be  enforced;  and  where  morals 


452 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


and  religion  will  come  to  the  aid  of  the  civil  laws, 
where  they  can  have  the  practical  example  of  farm- 
ers and  mechanics,  and  the  blessings  of  religious 
society?  If  the  race  must  become  extinct,  as  has 
always  been  prophesied,  is  it  not  better  to  keep  them 
where  they  can  enjoy  the  greatest  share  of  priv- 
ileges and  blessings,  than  to  throw  them  again  back 
into  a  state  of  savage  life,  without  game  in  the  coun- 
try to  support  them  and  their  families,  and  again 
expose  them  to  the  impositions  and  vices  of  the  w  orst 
of  our  race?  I  have  always  been  opposed  to  the 
removing  plan,  and  have  honestly  told  my  sentiments 
to  Indians  and  others.  I  used  my  influence  to  ^  er- 
suade  the  Indians  not  to  sell,  but  remain  where  tliey 
were;  for  if  they  were  removed  to  the  base  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  or  beyond  them,  the  white  popula- 
tion would  follow  them;  that,  as  they  were  now 
settled  on  a  small  tract  of  land,  which  by  treaty  and 
by  nature  was  their  own,  they  would  do  well  never  to 
leave  it,  for  their  condition  would  always  be  rendered 
worse  by  removal.  This  was,  and  still  is,  the  honest 
conviction  of  my  mind. 

I  believe  the  Indians  saw  and  felt  the  tru^h  of 
these  sentiments;  but,  alas!  what  could  they  do? 
They  were  powerless.  A  swarming  population  of 
whites,  like  so  many  hungry  wolves,  prowled  around 
the  "high  fence"  their  great  father  had  built  around 
them,  and  were  eager  to  leap  ove*  and  take  pos- 
session of  the  goodly  land.  Ah !  how  soon  were  my 
poor  lambs  scattered  in  the  Avide  and  savage  wilder- 


NUMBERS     IN     SOCIETY. 


45n 


ness,  far  away  from  tlic  graves  of  their  fatliers  and 
the  homes  of  tlieir  cliildhootl!  l^ut  so  far  from  beinj^ 
exempted  "forever"  from  the  rapacity  of  tlie  white 
man's  thirst  for  the  soil,  even  now,  while  I  write, 
measures  are  taken  to  dispossess  again  of  their  lands 
the  peeled  and  wasted  few  of  them  that  remain.  In 
fact,  their  promised  western  home,  which  they  were 
to  possess  "  forever,"  proved  only  a  place  of  tempo- 
rary rest  as  the  whole  n.ition  moved  onward  to  utter 
annihilation.  Thanks  be  to  God,  no  greedy  specu- 
lator can  dispossess  the  poor  converted  Indian  of  hia 
vested  rights  in  "  the  better  country.''  There  many 
of  my  dear  flock  were  long  sinco  gathered,  and  there 
I  hope  to  meet  them  again. 

At  this  time  we  had  upward  of  two  hundred  in 
society — twelve  leaders  and  three  exhorters — all  men 
of  the  wood.  The  classes  were  regularly  attended 
and  profitable.  On  the  Sabbath  day  our  house  of 
worship  was  crowded,  and  gr'^at  attention  and  the 
best  order  generally  prev  "led. 

Our  school  contained  fifty-seven  native  children; 
and  was  giving  every  prospect  of  continued  success. 

The  mission  suffered  great  loss  this  year  in  the 
death  of  Robert  Armstrong,  one  of  its  best  inter- 
preters. This  man  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  In- 
dians about  the  year  1786,  when  a  boy  about  four 
years  old.  His  parents  resided  a  few  miles  above 
Pittsburg,  on  the  bank  of  the  Alleghany  river.  On 
one  Sabbath  morning  a  young  man,  with  little  Robert, 
took  the  canoe,  and  crossed  the  river  to  visit  a  camp 


f^^m 


454 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


of  Indiiiik  Coin-plantfrs.  Tliis  camp  was  supposed 
to  bo  four  miles  from  the  river,  on  a  path  leading 
furtlier  into  the  forest. 

After  they  liad  made  their  visit,  and  were  returning 
home,  in  passing  a  thick  brush,  througli  which  the 
path  led,  they  heard  a  noise,  and  stopped  to  look; 
and,  to  their  great  surprise  and  terror,  four  Indians 
rose  up,  and  ordered  them  to  stop.  The  young  man 
attempted  to  make  his  escape  by  running,  but  had 
made  a  few  steps  only,  when  the  Indians  fired,  and 
he  fell  dead.  Robert  said,  that  he  ran  a  few  yards, 
but  one  of  the  Indians  overtook  him,  and  picked  him 
up.  Said  he,  "I  was  so  scared  to  see  the  young  man 
tomahawked  and  scalped,  that  I  could  hardly  stand, 
when  set  on  my  feet,  for  I  expected  it  Avoilld  be  my 
lot  next.  One  of  the  men  took  me  on  his  back,  and 
carried  me  for  several  miles  before  he  stopped.  The 
company  divided.  Two  men  took  the  scalp,  and  the 
other  two  had  charge  of  me.  In  the  evening  they 
met,  and  traveled  till  it  was  late  in  the  night,  and 
then  stopped  to  rest  and  sleep.  The  next  morning  I 
had  to  take  it  afoot  as  long  as  I  could  travel;  and 
although  they  treated  me  kindly,  yet  I  was  afraid 
they  would  kill  me.  Thus  they  traveled  on  several 
days,  crossing  some  large  rivers,  till  they  got  to  an 
Indian  town,  as  I  learned  afterward,  on  the  Jerome's 
fork  of  Mohickan  creek,  one  of  the  branches  of  Mus- 
kingum river.  Here  they  rested  a  while,  and  then 
went  on  till  they  came  to  Lower  Sandusky." 

This  little  captive  was  now  disposed  of  according 


RODKRT    ARMSTUONO. 


455 


to  the  customs  of  war.  lie  was  adopted  into  the  Big 
Turtle  tribe  of  Wyandotts,  and  his  Indian  name  was 
0-no-ran-do-roh.  But  little  more  is  known  of  his 
history  till  he  became  a  man.  He  learned  to  bo  an 
expert  hunter.  When  he  grew  up  he  married  an 
Indian  woman.  He  had  become  a  perfect  Indian  in 
his  feelings  and  habits  of  life;  and  had  so  far  lost 
the  knowledge  of  his  mother  tongue  that  he  could 
speak  and  understand  but  little  of  it. 

After  Wayne's  treaty  he  associated  more  with  the 
whites,  and  conversed  more  in  the  English,  and 
learned  to  talk  the  language  as  well  as  any  of  us. 
He  became  an  excellent  interpreter,  and  was  em- 
ployed in  trading  and  interpreting  the  rest  of  his  life. 

He  married  a  daughter  of  old  Ebenezer  Zane,  a 
half  Indian  woman,  and  raised  some  interesting  chil- 
dren. He  settled  at  Solomonstown,  and  afterward 
moved  to  Zanesfield,  on  Mad  river.  Thence  he  moved 
to  Upper  Sandusky,  where  he  died. 

He  embraced  religion  in  1819.  He  had  become 
alarmed  at  his  condition  by  interpreting  for  John 
Stewart,  and  said  the  words  he  spoke  to  others  fell 
like  lead  into  his  own  heart.  He  was  so  deeply  con- 
victed that  ho  joined  the  Church,  in  the  then  Mad 
River  circuit;  but  he  did  not  experience  the  witness 
of  his  acceptance  with  God  till  the  fall  of  1819,  jit  a 
camp  meeting ;  and  he  never  doubted  the  genuineness " 
of  the  work  afterward. 

Brother  Armstrong  was  a  zealous  Christian,  and 
loved  the  work  of  God.     He  was  one  of  the  best 


II 
II 


/v 


m\ 


456 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


interpreters,  and  wlien  his  soul  was  fired  by  the  Spirit, 
lie  was,  in  the  Wyandott  tongue,  a  most  powerful 
exhorter.  Indeed,  he  was  one  of  the  instruments 
that  carried  on,  and  maintained  the  work  qf  religion 
in  the  nation,  and  on  immovable  friend  to  the  school. 
His  usefulness  in  that  station  will  not  be  known  till 
the  great  day  of  reckoning. 

In  maki.ig  his  new  settlement  at  Upper  Sandusky, 
he  labored  hard,  and  exposed  himself  much;  and  in 
the  winter  of  1824-5  he  was  very  feeble.  In  the 
spring  his  disease  more  fully  developed  itself  to  be 
the  consumption.  It  progressed  rapidly ;  and  al- 
though he  was  sometimes  flattered  with  hopes  of 
recovery,  yet  he  looked  on  himself  as  winding  up 
his  course  in  this  world.  I  attended  him  through 
all  his  illness,  and  we  conversed  frequently  of  the 
goodness  and  providence  of  God.  He  always  was 
filled  with  gratitude  to  God,  that  he  was  taken  by  the 
Indians  when  a  child,  and  providentially  preserved  in 
many  instances  from  death,  that  he  might  be  one  of 
the  humble  instru.  lents  of  conveying  the  word  of 
salvation  to  the  Indian  nation,  and  had  enjoyo.l  such 
CO  nfort  as  we  had  experienced  together,  when  em- 
ployed in  this  work.  Sometimes  clouds  obscured  his 
spiritual  prospects  for  a  short  time;  but  they  were 
soon  dispersed,  and  the  closing  scene  of  his  life  was 
peaceful  and  triumphant.  He  died  on  the  20th  of 
April,  1825,  aged  about  forty-two  years.  I  preached 
lis  funeral  sermon  from  1  Cor.  xv,  20 — "The  last 
enemy  that  shall  be  destroyed  is  death" — to  a  largo 


INDIAN    SUB-AGENCY. 


457 


and  weeping  congregation  of  Indiiins.  We  laid  liis 
body  by  the  side  of  his  beloved  daughter,  to  rest  till 
the  resurrection  of  the  just.  0,  ble.sseci  day!  the 
hope  of  which  softens  the  bed  of  death,  destroys 
the  gloom  and  terror  of  the  grave,  and  cheers  the 
soul  of  man  with  the  prospect  of  immortality  and 
eternal  life. 

The  prosperous  state  of  the  mission  establishment, 
and  its  salutary  influence  upon  the  nation,  had  in- 
spired not  only  its  friends,  but  the  Government,  with 
entire  confidence  in  its  management  and  final  success. 
The  more  eflfectually  to  accomplish  the  humane  pur- 
poses of  the  Government  and  the  Churcli,  the  Secre- 
tary of  War  was  pleased  to  commit  to  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  mission  the  management  also  of  the 
secular  concerns  of  the  nation,  by  appointing  him 
sub-agent  of  Indiai   affairs  at  Upper  Sandusky. 

The  duties  of  ^llis  agency  added  some  to  my 
already  arduous  labors.  Nevertheless,  for  the  sake 
of  the  nation,  and  tl  e  work  in  Avliich  I  was  engaged, 
I  accepted  it,  and,  to  the  utmost  of  my  ability,  I  dis- 
charged its  duties,  always  exerting  myself  to  defend 
the  Indians  from  the  impositions  of  some  ill-disposed 
white  men  near  the  reservation,  and  in  laboring  to 
regain  the  property  which  was  stolen  from  them.  In 
this  labor  I  increased  the  hatred  of  this  class  of  men 
against  me,  as  might  naturally  be  expected;  but  my 
trust  was  in  God,  and  the  justness  of  the  cause  in 
which  I  was  employed;  and  I  continued  to  perform 
the  duties  of  sub-agent  with  great  pleasure,  and  with- 

a9 


w 


158 


LIFE     AMONG    THE    INDIAN J 


out  any  reward,  save  the  consciousness  of  upright 
endeavors  for  the  good  of  tne  Indian. 

Through  this  year  we  had  a  grooving  prospect  of 
accomplishing  the  purposes  of  charity  to  those  abo- 
riginals, and  their  condition  in  morals  and  temporal 
circumstances  was  very  much  changed  and  amelior- 
ated. Their  old  habits  were  giving  way,  and  their 
new  religion — as  they  called  it — and  the  cultivation 
of  the  soil  very  much  improved  their  condition  and 
comforts.  Yet  the  enemies  of  the  cross  of  Christ, 
and  of  the  Indians,  were  not  asleep,  but  had  their 
fatal  poison  in  almost  every  house  around  the  reser- 
vation ;  and,  whenever  practicable,  they  set  the  In- 
dians "on  fire  of  hell''  with  it.  There  were  not,  ^or 
are  there,  any  means  by  which  the  devil  or  his  angels, 
the  grog-sellers,  can  so  effectually  destroy  the  happi- 
ness of  man,  in  time  and  eternity,  as  with  the  fatal 
poison. 

It  is  impossible  to  tell  all  the  wickedness  that  has 
been  committed  on  the  Indians  of  North  America  by 
the  infernal  practice  of  selling  to  them  intoxicating 
liquors;  but  they  are  all  registered  on  high,  and  will 
not  be  forgotten  in  that  day  when  God  will  judge  the 
world  in  righteousness. 

Scuteash,  one  of  the  first  converts,  and  a  chief  of 
the  Big  Turtle  tribe,  was  seduced  by  those  whisky 
traders  to  take  again  to  his  former  habit  of  intem- 
perance. So  soon  as  I  heard  of  his  fall,  I  went 
directly  to  him,  and,  in  the  kindest  manner,  said, 
*'Mv  brother,  I  hear,  with  a  sorrowful  heart,  that  you 


^'OVERTAKEN     IN    A    FAULT. 


>  > 


459 


have  fallen  by  your  old  enemy,  and  as  soon  as  I  heard 
of  it,  I  ran  to  help  you  up;  for  I  was  afraid  you 
would  bo  so  discouraged  you  would  not  try.  Now, 
my  brother,  you  must  not  be  discouraged;  for  al- 
though you  have  given  the  enemy  of  your  soul  the 
advantage  over  you,  yet  the  Lord  can  break  his 
snare;  and  although  you  gave  me  your  hand  not 
to  taste  the  dram,  and  have  broken  that  promise, 
and  inflicted  a  wound  on  my  heart  that  bleeds,  yet  1 
have  not  thrown  you  away,  nor  is  my  confidence  in 
you  lost.  You  must  have  been  oflf  your  guard  at 
this  fatal  moment.  Now,  brother,  I  hope  you  will 
rise  up  and  stand  on  your  feet,  and  walk  in  the  same 
path  you.  have  walked  in  for  some  time  past.  You 
was  one  of  the  first  and  one  of  the  strongest  men 
of  our  little  band;  but  when  we  give  way  to  sin,  it 
is  then  we  are  weak  and  stumble  in  the  way.  You 
must  have  slackened  your  bold  of  the  Savior,  or  you 
could  not  have  fallen  in  this  way." 

"Brother,"  said  the  afflicted  man,  "all  you  say  is 
true.  I  was  among  the  first  that  took  hold  of  this 
new  way,  and  I  was  not  long  in  it  till  I  had  more 
peace  of  mind  than  I  had  enjoyed  all  my  life  before. 
I  was  happy  wherever  I  went,  and  all  my  temptations 
were  weak.  They  could  not  make  me  move.  I  did 
give  you  my  hand  not  to  take  the  first  drop,  and  then 
I  was  strong;  but  since  then  I  have  been  much  dis 
couraged  and  cast  down.  My  path  grew  dimmer  and 
darker.  It  seemed  as  if  the  sun  had  gone  down,  and 
I  could  not  pray,  and  it  became  a  burden  to  me,  and 


tm 


LIFE    AMOxVG    THE    INDIAN'S. 


every  day  I  got  weaker,  till  at  last  I  fell  in  with  the 
traaers,  and  they  told  me  that  it  was  all  nothing,  and 
that  very  few  people  were  religious;  and  all  that  was 
necessary  for  a  man  was  to  eat,  and  drink,  and  be 
merry,  for  we  must  soon  die,  and  then  it  was  all  over. 
Then  they  gave  me  the  bowl,  and  I  drank,  and  was 
soon  a  fool.     I  did  not  know  what  I  said  or  did." 

"Well,  brother,"  said  I,  "what  do  you  think  of 
their  doctrine,  that  after  death  there  is  nothing?  Do 
you  not  feel  guilty  before  God  for  getting  drunk?" 
"0  yes,"  said  he.  "Well,  now,  if  there  was  no  life 
or  punishment  for  sin  hereafter,  why  do  you  feel 
guilty?  Does  not  your  soul  say  you  must  give  an 
account  to  God  for  your  conduct?  These  men  are 
your  enemies,  and  will  ruin  your  soul  if  you  listen 
to  them,  and  follow  their  counsel.  You  know  you 
were  happy  once  and  miserable  now.  What  makes 
it?  You  have  been  negligent,  and  have  loitered  be- 
hind till  the  enemy  has  taken  you  prisoner.  But 
greater  are  they  that  are  for  you  than  those  that  are 
against  you.  You  must  pray  and  seek  the  Lord  till 
he  forgives  your  sin,  and  then  you  will  feel  as  well  as 
ever  you  did." 

This  he  promised  me  to  do,  and  said  I  had  opened 
up  the  path  to  him  again,  and  that  now  he  would  try 
not  to  lose  it.  "But  it  is  narrow,"  said  this  Aveeping 
and  penitent  chief.  "Yes,  brother,"  said  Z,  "and 
that  is  the  reason  why  we  must  always  keep  in  the 
light,  if  we  would  walk  in  it;  for  you  know  that  it  is 
impossible  to  walk  in  a  narrow  path  in  a  dark  night. 


SECOND    FALL  —  STRATAGERi 


4G1 


are 

till 

1  as 


ping 
ond 
the 
It  is 

igbt. 


\\o  have  the  light  of  the  Spirit  to  guide  us  into  all 
truth;  for  the  good  book  says,  that  it  is  only  'as 
many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God '  that  '  are  tlie 
sons  of  God.'  The  Lord  will  give  us  light  if  we 
walk  in  the  light;  but  if  we  sin  it  will  make  all 
cloudy,  and  we  shall  become  so  weak  that  we  can  not 
walk  in  it.  But  if  we  continue  praying,  we  may 
grow,  stronger  and  stronger,  till  the  last  loud  trump 
shall  sound." 

I  parted  with  the  old  man  in  great  hopes  that  I 
had  gained  my  brother.  lie  was  perfectly  sober  and 
good  for  aAvhile,  and  promised  much  usefulness  to 
the  nation;  but  it  was  not  long  till  the  same  set  of 
men  got  hold  of  him,  and  he  fell  the  second  time. 
I  went,  as  before,  but  found  him  sullen,  and  not  peni- 
tent, and  not  disposed  to  hear  any  counsel  or  advice 
on  the  subject.  I  then  thought  I  Avould  use  some 
stratagem  to  awake  up  honor  in  his  bosom.  I  said, 
"Scuteash,  you  have  told  me  of  your  manhood  and 
your  prowess,  as  a  warrior  and  hunter,  and  how  much 
you  could  endure ;  but  I  am  disposed  to  believe  that 
you  are  not  half  the  great  man  or  chief  that  tlie 
people  say  you  are.  Almost  every  body  thought 
you  was  a  great  man,  and  that  nothing  could  stand 
before  you;  but  I  think  old  Molly  [an  old  woman 
who  had  been  proverbial  for  drunkenness  and  lewd- 
ness, and  who,  from  the  day  of  her  conversion  till 
her  death,  which  was  six  years,  never  stepped  aside 
from  the  true  path  of  piety  and  holiness]  is  a  much 
stouter  man  than  you  are,  and  has  much  more  cour- 


Ji^i 


462 


LIFE    AMONG     THE    INDIANS. 


a;j;e  to  resist  than  you  have.  You  must  be  \  perfect 
squaw,  and  worse,  if  you  can  not  quit  getting  drunk, 
and  prevent  whisky  from  overcoming  you." 

This  piqued  the  old  man.  I  said,  "Many  women- 
have  set  out,  and  are  still  going  on,  and  not  falling 
down,  and  turning  aside  like  you."  After  some  time 
he  said,  "I  will  let  you  see  that  I  have  strength 
enough  to  keep  from  falling."  For  a  long  time  he 
was  sober;  but  never  regained  his  first  love.  He 
fell  again,  and,  I  think,  he  never  was  reclaimed,  un- 
less it  was  on  his  dying  pillow.  Then  I  did  not  see 
him:  but  only  heard  that  he  was  stupid,  and  m  a 
great  measure  insensible.  0  how  dreadful  is  the  state 
of  the  blackslider  from  God!  and  especially  when 
he  is  so  lost  as  to  deny  that  he  has  fallen,  or  that 
he  ever  was  purged  from  his  old  sins ! 


A    H  A  Z  A  :i  D  0  U  S    JOURNEY. 


403 


CH  A.PTER    XVIII. 

V^ISIT    TO    TIi^    EAST    WITH    INDIAN    CHIEFS. 

At  the  conference  of  1825  I  was  returned  to  the 
Indian  mission.  The  Rev.  John  0.  Brooke  and  wife 
were  also  appointed  to  take  charge  of  the  mission 
farm  and  family.  By  this  latter  arrangement  I  was 
left  .'it  liberty  to  devote  myself  more  entirely  to  the 
general  and  spiritual  interests  of  the  work. 

The  conference,  at  this  session,  passed  a  resolution 
providing  for  the  education  of  twelve  of  the  larger 
and  most  promising  boys  in  the  white  settlements ; 
where  they  could  secure  a  more  perfect  knowledge  of 
the  English  language,  acquire  the  habits  of  civilized 
life,  and  learn  the  mechanical  arts,  or  agriculture. 
The  attempt  to  carry  out  this  wise  and  politic  reso- 
lution well-nigh  cost  me  my  life.  It  was  late  in 
December  before  we  were  ready  to  carry  the  reso- 
lution into  effect.  I  then  carried  the  boys  sixty-five 
miles,  through  the  wilderness,  in  a  wagon  to  Urbnna. 
I  accomplished  the  journey  in  safety,  and  each  boy 
reached  his  proper  destination.  On  my  return  the 
weather  had  become  extremely  cold.  The  piercing 
winds  of  winter  howled  through  the  forests,  and  not 
un frequently  filled  my  eyes  and  blinded  mo^  with  the 
snow.     It  seemed  difficult  to  keep  from  freezing  while 


464 


LIFE    AMONG    TUE    INDIANS. 


r  was  in  motion.  But,  to  complete  my  ui^T.culty,  1 
found  myself  unable  to  reach  any  dwelling;,  and  night 
overtook  mc  in  the  wilderness.  I  had  no  bed-clothes, 
except  a  thin  quilt,  and  could  get  up  but  little  fire. 
I  can  never  describe  the  horrors  and  sufferings  of 
that  terrible  night.  It  seemed  as  though  I  must  per- 
ish; but  with  constant  effort  and  God's  blessing,  I  was 
enabled  to  keep  life  within  me.  The  next  day  I 
reached  the  mission;  but  almost  as  much  dead  as 
alive.  A  fit  of  sicknej^s  now  disabled  me;  and  such 
was  the  injury  I  received  that  I  nevT  recovered  my 
former  health. 

In  order  to  lighten  my  labors,  I  now  resigned  the 
office  of  sub-agent  for  the  Indians.  The  good  work, 
notwithstanding  my  enfeebled  health,  continued  to 
progress  encouragingly.  Our  meetings  were  well  at- 
tended, and  we  were  making  constant  inroads  upon 
the  pagan  party. 

In  the  month  of  April,  1826,  we  held  our  second 
quarterly  meeting  in  the  new  stone  church.  It  was 
a  season  of  great  power  and  glory;  and  was  signal- 
ized by  the  conversion  of  old  Scionta,  the  high-priest 
of  the  heathen  party.  This  man  had  served  De-un- 
quot,  the  head  chief,  in  this  office,  and  used  to  hold 
his  meetings,  and  deliver  long  lectures  on  the  Indian 
religion  and  traditions.  He  was  a  sober  and  respect- 
able man,  and  was  considered  an  honor  to  his  pro- 
fession and  party.  He  had  often  been  convinced  of 
the  truth;  and  much  shaken  in  his  heathenish  belief; 
but  his   pride   of  character  and   office   deterred  him 


CONVERSION    OF    SCIONTA. 


465 


from  yielding.  At  length  the  truth  of  the  Gospel, 
conveyed  to  his  heart  by  the  blessed  Spirit,  was 
sharper  than  a, two-edged  sword.  It  found  way  to 
his  soul,  and  he  fell,  with  many  others,  to  the  Hoor, 
and  cried  aloud  for  mercy.  He  then  abjured  liis 
heathenism  and  its  practices;  saying,  that  lie  now 
would  take  Jesus  Ciirist  for  his  God,  and  liis  word  for 
his  guide,  and  follow  him  as  long  as  he  lived.  He 
made  a  humble  confession  of  his  sins,  and  asked  all 
to  pray  for  him.  This  we  all  did  heartily.  The  con- 
version of  this  man  made  a  great  stir  in  the  heathen 
ranks,  and  brought  many  of  them  out  to  attend  our 
meetings. 

On  the  Sabbath  evening  we  held  our  love-feast, 
which  was  a  time  long  to  be  remembered.  The  power 
of  God  filled  the  whole  house,  and  many  were  struck 
down  to  the  floor  like  Saul  of  Tarsus,  and  cried  for 
mercy.  Many  of  them  experienced  the  pardon  of 
their  sins ;  and  among  them  was  Scionta,  the  high- 
priest.  He  shouted  and  praised  God  for  redeeming 
grace  and  dying  love,  which  convinced  .others  that 
there  was  a  divine  reality  in  the  work.  This  man 
has  been  a  pious,  devoted  saint  ever  since.  I  do  not 
believe  there  was  an  hour  from  that  time  forward  that 
he  did  not  enjoy  the  love  and  presence  of  God  in  his 
soul.  I  saw  and  worshiped  with  him  in  June,  1837, 
which  was  eleven  years  after  his  conversion,  and  he 
told  me  he  was  deeply  afflicted  in  body,  but  his  soul 
was  still  filled  with  the  love  of  God,  and  that  he  ex- 
pected soon  to  mount  up  on  high,  to  see  Jesus,  and 

30 


■dj  '-4 


ii 

m 


4G6 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIA  X  8. 


rest  with  him  forever  in  the  "house  not  made  with 
hands — eternal  in  the  heavens." 

God  owned  that  place,  and  there  gave  peace  to  all 
who  truly  called  upon  him.  Thirteen  professed  re- 
ligion at  this  meeting,  and  joined  the  Church.  The 
meeting  lasted  all  night.  Brother  Brooke  made  an 
attempt,  after  midnight,  to  dismiss  the  meeting,  but 
it  could  not  be  easily  done.,  The  holy  fire  was  now 
kindled  afresh  in  the  hearts  of  many  of  the  members. 

The  next  morning  sister  Ilicks,  the  wife  of  one  of 
our  chiefs,  while  preparing  breakfast  for  those  friends 
who  had  lodged  with  them  during  the  quarterly  meet- 
ing, was  GO  filled  with  the  love  of  God,  that  she 
broke  out  into  raptures  of  praise,  and  the  rest  caught 
the  flame.  The  work  commenced  in  the  old  class- 
house,  and,  with  but  little  intermission,  lasted  all 
day. 

To  show  the  progress  of  the  work  up  to  this  period, 
I  give  the  statistics  of  the  mission,  as  taken  from  our 
Church  records  at  the  time : 


"In  January,  1821,  the  first  class  was  formed. 
Since  that,  tAvo  hundred  and  ninety-two  have  been 
received  on  trial,  two  hundred  and  fifty  of  whom  now 
remain  on  our  class  papers.  Sixteen  have  died,  I 
trust,  in  the  Lord,  and  twenty-six  have  been  ex- 
pelled, discontinued,  and  have  moved  away.  The 
two  hundred  and  fifty  now  in  the  Church  are  divided 
into  ten  classes,  each  having  a  leader  of  its  own. 
There  are  four  licensed  exhorters,  godly  and  zealous 


INVITED    TO    THE    EASTERN    CITIES.    4C7 

•acn,  moving  regularly  in  a  circuit  among  their  breth- 
ren, and  doing  much  good.  They  all  manifest  a  dis- 
position to  improve  in  the  arts  of  civilized  life;  and 
as  religion  increases  among  them,  so  does  industry, 
cleanliness,  and  all  the  fruits  of  good  living.  Ther 
are  on  our  school  list  the  names  of  sixty-five  children, 
most  of  whom  arc  now  regular  attendants,  and  are 
doinf;  well — learning;  the  Enijlish  laii<'ua;j;e,  and  other 
useful  knowledge.  Indeed,  I  have  no  doubt,  if  these 
people  are  not  distui'bed  by  factions,  but  are  left  to 
pursue  the  course  they  have  begun,  '  the  whole  lump 
will  be  leavened.'  Their  improvement,  in  every  re- 
spect, is  very  great." 


This  spring  I  received  a  letter  from  Dr.  Bangs, 
of  New  York,  inviting  me,  with  two  of  the  chiefs,  and 
an  interpre+er,  to  visit  the  eastern  cities,  and  attend 
the  anniversary  of  the  Missionary  Society.  At  first, 
such  was  the  state  of  my  health,  that  I  doubted 
whether  I  should  be  able  to  perform  such  a  journey. 
I  consulted  my  friends,  and  we  concluded  that  it 
might  be  beneficial,  both  to  my  health  and  that  of 
Betvveen-the-Logs,  who  was  laboring  under  a  pul- 
monary affection.  After  making  it  a  matter  of  much 
prayer,  and  it  being  considered  advantageous  to  the 
missionary  cause  by  our  venerable  Bishops,  M'Ken- 
dree  and  Soule,  we  agreod  to  undertake  the  journey 
and,  with  all  possible  dis^  aicli   made  preparations. 

On  the  5th  Between-the-L(>gs,  Arononcue,  and  my- 
self,  set   out   from   Upper   Sandusky,   with   Samuel 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


/. 


^  .^. 


1.0 


I.I 


11.25 


11    WIS 


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HiDtographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WiSr  MAIN  STRier 

WEBSTM.N.ir.  .M«0 

(716)  873-4S03 


V 


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^^^%* 
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'<^ 


468 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


Brown  for  our  interpreter,  and  rode  to  Portland  on 
horseback.  We  sent  our  horses  home  from  thence, 
and  took  passage  in  a  steamboat  on  the  8th  for  Buf- 
falo. Nothing  unusual  happened,  except  a  very  high 
wind,  which  made  my  comrades  very  seasick,  and 
affected  me  some.  Traveling  on  a  steamboat  was 
a  novelty  to  my  comrades,  and  yet  they  expressed 
no  astonishment,  nor  manifested  any  curiosity  in 
examining  the  works.  This  an  Indian  would  con- 
sider an  exhibition  of  weakness,  and  a  want  of  self- 
command. 

When  we  landed  at  Buffalo,  it  seemed  as  if  the 
people  would  tear  us  to  pieces,  such  was  the  anxiety 
to  get  us  aboard  their  canal-boat.  But  I  said  to 
them  all,  "  Stand  off — I  will  take  my  own  time,  and 
make  my  own  choice  in  this  matter."  So  I  drove  off 
these  birds  of  prey,  took  our  things,  placed  them  on 
the  bank,  nnd  left  my  friends  to  watch,  till  I  went 
and  looked  for  myself.  I  went  from  boat  to  boat, 
looking  into  all,  and  found  them  supplied  with  whisky 
and  rum.  I  said,  "Here  is  the  devil  I  want  to  shun." 
Some  were  drinking,  playing  the  fiddle,  dice,  check 
ers,  and  cards.  At  length  I  met  a  Captain  Smith, 
who  looked  like  a  temperate  man.  I  said,  "  It  may 
be  this  man  keeps  a  good  boat."  I  went  with  him  to 
his  boat,  which  was  nearly  ready  to  start,  and  saw  no 
whisky  or  bar.  All  the  company  looked  grave  and 
sober,  i  told  him  who  I  was,  and  who  my  comrades 
were,  and  that  I  wanted  to  get  into  some  boat  under 
the  protection  of  some  master  Avho  respected  himself 


BABBATH  ON  THE  CANAL  BOAT.   469 


sky 


If 


and  religion.  Wiien  he  found  that  religion  was  the 
object  of  our  journey,  he  said  he  would  take  us,  and 
do  it  half  a  dollar  less  than  his  accustomed  charge. 
By  a  gracious  providence  we  were  soon  aboard,  and 
on  our  jou^-^ey.  This  nan,  I  learned,  was  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church;  and  we  were  permitted 
to  enjoy  our  religious  privileges,  and  were  treated  in 
character. 

On  Sabbath  we  had  meeting  three  times.  It  was 
agreed  that  in  the  morning  Between-the-Logs  should 
officiate,  at  noon  I  vould  preach,  and  in  the  even- 
ing brother  Mononcue.  Our  morning  exercise  com- 
menced soon  after  breakfast,  and  was  introduced  bv 
the  chiefs  and  the  interpreter  singing  in  Wyandott, 

"  Come  thou  Fount  of  every  blessing,"  eto. 

I  sung  with  them  in  English.  Then  Between-the- 
Logs  prayed  with  great  fervency.  The  passengers 
in  the  boat  were  literally  astonished.  When  we  arose 
from  our  knees,  I  perceived  tl  at  some  had  been  weep- 
ing. Our  preacher  from  the  woods  then  commenced, 
and  preached  many  things  in  his  exhortation.  He 
told  us  of  his  birth  and  early  life,  of  his  Indian  re- 
ligion and  of  his  Catholic  religion.  "But  I  saw  in 
all  this,"  said  he,  "  that  I  had  only  an  outside  religion, 
which  never  reached  my  hear  ,  but  was  worn  only 
when  I  went  to  meeting.  When  I  left  meeting  it 
was  all  gone  till  I  went  back  again.  I  was  just  as 
wicked  as  before;  and  this  was  all  I  thought  neces- 
sary.    So  I  felt  at  peace.    But  some  years  ago  there 


■■i 


470 


LIFE    AMONG    TUB    INDIANS. 


came  a  colored  man  to  our  nation,  and  he  told  of 
another  way;  that  we  must  have  the  religion  of 
Jesus,  and  this  wa?  the  religion  of  the  heart.  I 
listened  to  hira.  and  turu^ht  it  might  be  the  truth ; 
yet  I  was  still  in  the  dark.  So  I  listened,  and,  after 
some  time,  I  took  hold.  I  went  to  a  great  camp  meet- 
ing. There  I  saw  the  mighty  power  of  God;  and 
then  I  felt  it  was  not  altogether  well  with  me.  I 
prayed  and  went  to  meeting,  but  did  not  feel  as  I 
wanted.  The  Lord  sent  our  brother  here,  to  be  our 
missionary,  and  he  fed  us  with  meat.  Strong  words 
came  from  him,  and  I  was  much  stirred  up  to  seek 
the  deep  things  oi  which  he  spoke.  At  a  prayer 
meeting  in  our  town,  God  opened  my  heart  to  feel 
his  love  and  power ;  and  it  seemed  as  if  it  burned  in 
every  breast.  I  could  not  keep  my  tongue  still.  All 
was  changed.  I  loved  all  men,  and  hastened  to  tell 
all  the  world  how  good  the  Lord  was  to  me." 

He  then  exhorted  all  to  come  to  God,  and  said, 
"You  [the  whites]  know  the  way.  You  have  the 
good  book,  and  can  read  it.  This  shows  the  way. 
Let  a  poor  Indian,  brought  up  in  the  darkness  of  the 
woods,  who  never  could  read  a  word,  and  never,  till 
the  other  day,  heard  of  the  blessed  name  of  Jesus— 
that  name  so  sweet  and  precious  to  my  soul — let  his 
feeble  voice  reach  your  heavy  ears,  and  wake  you 
up."  By  this  time  Between-the-Logs  was  in  such  a 
rapture,  and  the  tears  were  rolling  down  many  cheeks, 
that  he  left  his  place,  and  walked  to  the  weeping 
captain,  took  him  by  the  hand  and  talked  to  him ;  and 


WONDER    OP    THE    HEARERS. 


471 


sc  he  (lid  to  all  in  the  boat.  There  was  not  one  dry 
eye — all  wept,  and  some  could  scarcely  refrain  from 
crying  aloud. 

I  then  called  on  Mononcue  to  pray ;  and  like  Bri- 
daine,  his  thundering  voice,  and  his  holy  eloquence 
m  prayer,  put  the  climax  on  our  exercises.  Never 
was  an  audience  more  astonished.  There  was  present 
u  trader  from  the  Rocky  Mountains,  going  to  Boston 
on  business,  who,  more  than  all  the  rest,  appeared 
astonished;  for  he  had  never  before  dreamed  that, 
if  there  was  any  such  thing  as  religion,  an  Indian 
could  be  made  the  subject  of  it  expei'mentally.  He 
afterward  took  me  up  on  the  top  of  the  boat,  to 
inquire  about  these  men ;  where  they  were  from  ?  and 
how  they  came  to  know  these  things?  I  gave  him 
their  history  in  a  few  words.  He  was  utterly  con- 
founded; and  during  all  the  remainder  of  our  jour- 
ney, the  conversion  of  the  Indians  seemed  to  be  all 
his  talk. 

I  preached  at  eleven  o'clock,  from  Acts  xiii,  41, 
"Behold,  ye  despisers,  and  wonder,  and  perish;  for 
I  work  a  work  in  your  days,  a  work  which  ye  slaJi 
in  no  wise  believe,  though  a  man  declare  it  unto  you.^' 
I  first  described  the  work.  I  showed  it  was  in  these 
days,  before  their  eyes,  and  yet  they  would  not  be- 
lieve it,  although  those  men  declared  it  unto  them ; 
and  then  the  application,  "Behold,  and  wonder,  and 
perish." 

Brother  Mononcue  exhorted  and  prayed  with  great 
energy,  and  then  our  meeting  concluded.    I  have  no 


472 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    Il^DtAI^d. 


doubt  but  tbat  the  exercises  of  this  Sabbuth  left  a 
deep  impression  on  the  minds  of  all. 

We  were  treated  witli  great  respect  the  remainder 
of  our  journey. 

At  Albany  I  called  upon  the  preacher  in  charge 
of  the  station.  We  had  meeting  that  night,  and  the 
chiefs  addressed  the  congregation.  Next  day  we  pro- 
ceeded down  the  river  to  Newburg.  It  was  thought 
best  for  us  to  remain  here,  and  rest  over  the  Sabbath, 
and  then  proceed  on  Monday  to  New  York. 

Many  came  to  see  us,  and  asked  many  questions. 
On  the  Sabbath  we  had  a  profitable  meeting;  and  on 
Monday  we  went  to  the  city. 

We  were  most  kindly  received,  and  conducted  to 
the  residence  of  Dr.  Pitts,  where  we  were  comfort- 
ably situated,  in  a  large  and  airy  room.  Between - 
the-Logs  was  much  fatigued,  from  the  heat,  exercise, 
and  travel.  Here  we  all  took  our  lodgings  on  the 
floor.  Not  being  accustomed  to  soft  beds,  we  could 
not  sleep  on  them,  but  rested  much  better  on  oui 
blankets. 

Just  before  day,  we  were  waked  up  by  the  noise  of 
carts  and  drays,  going  to  market.  This  was  so  dif- 
ferent from  the  silence  of  the  woods  at  that  hour — 
where  the  wolf  steals  in  the  twilight  to  his  den,  and 
the  deer  rises  from  hi?  lair  to  crop  the  verdant  grass, 
made  soft  by  the  dew  of  the  morning,  and  the  sweet 
songsters  of  the  forest  tune  their  warbling  notes  of 
praise  from  nature's  ten  thousand  altars,  to  Him  who 
made  the  sun  to  gild  the  day,  and  the  moon  the  night — 


fllOHT-SEElNO    IN    KEW    YORK. 


478 


that  we  could  not  sleep.  Brother  Moiioncuc  was  the 
first  at  the  window,  to  see  what  uU  this  meant  Soon 
I  heard  him  call  for  me  to  rise  quick,  and  tell  what 
these  things  were.  When  I  approaclied  the  window, 
I  saw  carts  loaded  with  crabs.  I  told  him  they  were 
craw-fish,  from  the  sea.  "What  do  they  ao  with 
them?"  added  he.  "Eat  them,' I  replied.  Then  he 
gave  an  expression  of  contempt,  "  YuteT  and  said, 
"  The  hogs  do  this  in  our  river." 

We  remained  here  through  the  week,  caressed  by 
our  friends,  and  seeing  all  that  w."3  curious  in  the 
city.  We  visited  the  poor-house,  penitentiary,  house 
of  refuge,  and  many  of  the  schools;  but  with  none 
were  the  chiefs  mo)e  delighted  than  with  the  African 
free  school,  taught  on  the  Lancasterian  plan.  There 
were  two  hundred  black  boys,  or  upward,  under  good 
discipline;  and  to  gratify  the  chiefs,  the  master  put 
them  through  all  the  exercises  of  marching,  clapping 
of  hands,  and  treading  with  their  feet — all  of  which 
was  done  with  much  regularity  and  precision,  and 
that  without  one  word,  except  one  of  the  largest 
boys,  who  acted  as  fugleman.  The  boys  presented 
my  comrades  with  paintings  done  by  them,  which  were 
well  executed. 

Between-the-Logs  continued  feeble,  and  went  out 
but  little.  I  wanted  to  take  them  to  the  Museum,  buc 
wished  to  do  it  privately ;  for  if  it  was  known,  there 
would  be  such  a  crowd  that  we  could  enjoy  no  satis- 
faction.    However,  after  dark,  ws  went  up  to  the 

Park,  and  entered  one,  where  we  found  a  few  visitors. 

40 


474 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


The  first  thing,  after  entering,  that  attractetl  our 
attention,  and  particuhirly  the  notice  of  Mononcuc, 
was  thfc  great  sea  turtle.  "Wliy,'  said  he,  "here  is 
my  grandmother !  [He  was  of  the  Turtle  tribe.]  I 
have  seen  many  of  her  children,  but  never  have  seen 
her  before."  He  began  to  measure  with  his  arms, 
by  fathoms,  to  know  how  high  she  was,  that  he  might 
tell  his  tribe  when  he  ret  rned  home.  He  measured 
the  circumference,  the  breadth  across  the  back,  and 
then  the  length.  He  said  to  me,  "  I  never  knew  that 
these  grew  so  large."  I  told  him  it  was  from  the 
sea;  and  that  all  water  animals  grew  larger  there, 
than  in  our  lakes  and  rivers.  We  spent  an  hour  at 
this  place,  looking  at  all  the  different  curiosities  of 
animals,  birds,  and  fishes,  from  other  countries,  and 
talking  about  them.  ^ 

We  received  an  invitfition  to  go  to  Peale's  Museum, 
across  the  street,  where  there  was  to  be  an  exhibition 
of  gas-lights.  Accordingly  we  went,  and  seated  our- 
selves in  a  box.  Soon  after,  the  lights  were  extin- 
guished. There  soon  appeared,  however,  a  wheel, 
with  a  small  gas-light,  which  was  enlarged  or  de- 
pressed, at  pleasure,  according  to  the  will  of  the  wire- 
workers.  Here  many  pictures  passed  in  review  before 
us.  At  length  there  came  up  one  which  represented 
the  devil  having  hold  of  a  drunken  man  by  the  wrist, 
and  there  appeared  a  great  conflict  between  them. 
The  devil  pulled,  and  the  man  pulled,  and  success 
seemed  alternately  to  incline,  first  in  ft;.vor  of  one, 
ttlid  then  in  favor  of  the  other.     At  last  the  light  wag 


THE    P  A  n-T  Y    L  T  0  X  I  Z  E  D . 


475 


suddenly  much  enlarged,  to  give  a  full  view  of  the 
scene.  The  devil  knocked  up  the  feet  of  the  drunk- 
ard, and  whirled  him  heels  over  head,  and  all  disap- 
peared. The  light  was  then  wholly  excluded,  and  all 
was  dark  and  silent.  Mononcue  was  sitting  on  my 
left,  and  he  exclaimed,  "  Waughr  We  were  invited 
to  come  again  the  next  evening.  I  said  to  him,  who 
had  given  the  invitation,  that  if  it  was  considered 
best,  we  perhaps  would,  but  that  I  would  let  him 
know  by  note  on  the  morrow.  In  the  morning  papers 
it  was  advertised  that  I,  with  the  Indian  chiefs,  would 
be  at  his  Museum  in  the  evening.  This  offended  my 
moral  sensibility,  for  I  discovered  it  was  a  catch- 
penny maneuver.  I  sent  him  a  note  that  one  of  the 
chiefs  was  unwell,  and  we  declined  the  invitation. 
But  this  did  not  prevent  his  gain,  for  the  public  no- 
tice was  not  recalled,  only  a  note  stuck  up  on  the 
door,  in  the  dark,  where,  in  all  probability,  none 
would  notice  it.  Brother  Brown  and  myself  went 
into  the  Park.  The  street  was  completely  filled  with 
carriages.  The  crowd  was  so  great  that  a  large  num- 
ber could  not  get  in,  as  they  expected,  to  see  the 
Indian  chiefs.  I  now  plainly  perceived  that  wo  were 
to  be  made  gain  of,  and  we  accordingly  took  oui 
leave. 

I  received  many  notes  of  invitation  to  gardens  and 
public  places  of  resort;  but  we  kept  ourselves  as 
retired  as  possible,  till  the  Sabbath,  when  we  repaire«l 
10  the  crowded  churches,  and  worshiped  with  the 
great  congregations  in  this  American  London.     Our 


wm 


m 


LIFB    AMONa    TH^    INDIANS. 


chiefs  spoke  to  the  congregations,  by  their  interpret- 
er, with  good  eifect.  How  striiving  tlic  contraist  be- 
tween the  great  metropolis,  its  splendid  buildings,  and 
costly-attired  thousands,  and  the  humble  retreat  of 
the  forest,  where  the  embassador  of  Josus  meets  his 
Hock  in  a  house  made  with  slabs,  and  covered  with 
bark  from  the  forest  trees,  without  windows  or  shut- 
ters to  the  door — his  humble  auditory  seated  on  the 
ground,  or  on  logs  split  and  arranged  for  seats — their 
blankets  round  them,  either  for  ornament  or  covering; 
and  yet  God  is  in  the  forest  waste,  as  well  as  in 
"the  city  full."  In  the  former  there  is  no  parade, 
no  show,  all  is  nature  in  her  simple  state;  and,  with- 
out guile,  the  worshipers  present  a  humble  heart 
at  the  throne  of  grace.  Here,  perhaps,  all  is  right, 
but  it  is  not  like  home  to  the  humble  missionary,  who 
has  been  accustomed  to  preach  to  the  poor  in  their 
western  cabins,  or  to  the  Indian  in  his  bark  wigwam. 
Elis  message  from  heaven  is  perfectly  adapted  to  all, 
and  is  designed  to  meet  the  wants  of  all,  in  every 
condition.  0  how  good  is  God,  who  has  given  us 
such  a  Gospel,  and  such  a  dispensation  of  mercy, 
which  embraces  all  mankind,  from  the  beggar  at  the 
gate,  to  the  monarch  on  his  throne,  with  every  rank 
between  them !  After  the  labors  of  the  day  we  re- 
tired to  repose,  with  thankful  hearts,  that  we  had 
seen  and  felt  the  presence  of  the  Lord  manifested 
ID  the  great  congregations. 

The  missionary  anniversary  was  held  on  Wednes- 
day of  this  week.     Brother  Bascom  preached  the 


SERMON  —  BETWEEN-TIIE-LOGS.       471 


US 


iS- 

kUe 


missionary  sermon.  Although  I  liavc  been  in  the 
habit  of  hearing  him  frequently,  ever  since  he  com- 
menced preaching,  I  think,  on  this  occasion,  he  was 
almost  inspired.  I  felt,  and  I  thought  all  felt,  as  if 
tho  day  had  arrived  when  the  head-stone  was  to  be 
"brought  with  shouting,  crying,  Grace,  grace  unto 
it!"  when  the  Savior  was  to  bo  crowned  Lord  of  all. 
0,  how  my  soul  burned  with  missionary  fire!  I  felt 
then  that  I  wanted  to  be  on  the  top  of  some  of  the 
peaks  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  with  a  voice  suitable, 
that  I  might  say  to  all  the  inhabitants  on  each  side, 
and  along  its  rugged  summit,  in  the  language  of  tho 
inspired  prophet  Isaiah,  "Let  the  inhabitants  of  the 
rock  sing,  let  them  shout  from  the  tops  of  the  mount- 
ttins. 

Between-the-Logs  followed.  He  gave  a  history  of 
the  introduction  of  the  Roman  Catholic  religion  into 
his  nation,  and  the  influence  it  had  on  his  people. 
"It  is  true,"  said  he,  "we  went  to  Church  on  the 
Sabbath  day,  and  then  the  minister  preached;  but 
we  did  not  understand  one  word  he  said.  We  saw 
he  kneeled  down,  and  stood  up,  and  went  through 
motions  with  his  great  dress  on;  and  when  Church 
was  out,  we  all  went  to  a  place  where  they  sold  rum 
and  whisky,  got  drunk,  and  went  home  drunk,  lie 
would  tell  us  we  must  not  get  drunk ;  but  he  would 
drink  himself,  and  frolic  and  dance  on  the  Sabbath. 
We  counted  our  beads,  and  kept  our  crosses  about 
our  necks,  or  under  our  pillows,  and  would  some- 
times pray  to  the  Virgin  Maiy.     But  we  were  uu  as 


478 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS 


wc  were  before.  It  made  no  change  on  us,  and  ? 
began  to  think  it  was  not  as  good  as  the  religion 
of  our  fathers;  for  they  taught  us  to  be  good  men 
and  women,  to  worship  the  CJreat  Spirit,  and  to  ab- 
stain from  all  evil.      •  . 

'"Soon  after,  the  Seneca  Prophet  came  to  our  na- 
tion, and  he  told  us  that  he  had  found  the  right  way ; 
that  ho  had  a  revelation,  and  had  seen  and  talked  with 
an  angel,  and  was  directed  to  teach  all  the  Indians; 
that  they. must  quit  drinking,  and  must  take  up  their 
old  Indian  religion,  and  offer  their  const.int  sacrifices, 
as  their  fathers  had  done,  which  had  been  *"  ^glected 
too  much,  and,  on  account  of  this,  the  Great  Spirit 
had  forsaken  them.  But  if  they  would  come  back 
and  follow  him,  that  he  would  yet  drive  the  white 
man  back  to  his  native  home.  We  all  followed  him 
till  wc  saw  he  went  crooked,  and  did  not  do  himself 
what  he  taught  us  to  do.  Then  we  followed  him  no 
more,  but  returned  to  our  old  course. 

"  Some  time  afterward  came  the  Shawnee  Prophet, 
the  brother  of  Tecumseh,  and  he  told  us  that  a  great 
many  years  ago  there  lived  a  prophet  that  had  fore- 
told the  present  state  of  the  Indians,  that  they  would 
be  scattered  and  driven  f.om  their  homes;  but  that 
the  Great  Spirit  had  said  that  he  would  make  them 
srand  on  their  feet  again,  and  would  drive  the  white 
man  back  over  the  waters,  and  give  them  their  own 
country;  that  he  had  seen  an  angel,  and  he  told  him 
that  all  the  Indians  must  quit  drinking,  and  all  turn 
to  their  old  ways,  that  their  grandfathers  had  fol- 


CHRISTIAN     K  X  P  E  R I E  N  C  E . 


479 


ite 
vn 
Ini 
ni 


lowc'l,  and  unite  and  aid  to  drive  the  wliites  from 
our  country.  Many  believed  and  followed  him.  JJul 
I  luid  got  tired,  and  thou<!;ht  it  was  best  for  me  to 
keep  on  in  the  old  way,  and  so  we  eontinued.  Then 
tlie  war  came  on,  and  we  all  went  to  drinking  and 
li'.'htinff. 

"  When  the  war  was  over  we  were  a  nation  of 
drunkards,  and  so  wicked,  that  the  chiefs  thought 
wo  must  try  and  get  up  our  old  religion  of  feasting 
and  dancing.  We  did  our  best  to  get  our  ->  >ple  to 
quit  drinking.  But  while  we  were  trying  to  reform, 
God  sent  a  colored  man,  named  Stewart,  to  us.  with 
the  good  boak.  He  began  to  talk,  and  sing,  u!id 
pray;  but  we  thought  it  was  all  nothing,  and  many 
mad',  fun  of  him,  because  he  was  a  black  man.  The 
white  traders  told  us  we  ought  to  drive  him  away, 
for  the  white  people  would  not  let  a  black  man  preach 
for  them.  AVe,  however,  watched  his  walk,  and  found 
that  he  walked  straight,  and  did  as  he  said.  At  last 
the  word  took  hold,  .ind  many  began  to  listen,  and 
believed  it  was  right,  and  soon  we  began  to  pray,  and 
we  found  that  it  was  of  God.  Then  others  came, 
and  they  told  us  the  same  things.  The  work  broke 
out,  and  God  has  done  great  things  for  us.  I  was 
among  the  first  that  took  hold,  and  I  found  it  was  the 
religion  of  the  heart,  and  from  God.  It  made  my 
soul  happy,  and  does  yet.  The  school  is  doing  well. 
<)ur  children  are  learning  to  read  the  good  book,  and 
promise  fair  to  make  good  and  useful  men.  We 
thank  you,  our  friends,  for  all  the  kindness  and  help 


ipp 


480 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


you  have  shown  us,  and  hope  you  will  continue  to 
help  us  till  we  can  stand  alone  and  walk.  We  will 
do  our  best  to  spread  this  religion  at  home,  and  send 
it  to  all  nations.  When  at  home,  I  am  accustomed 
to  hear  my  brothers  talk;  but  since  I  came  here,  I 
can  not  understand  what  is  said.  I  wonder  if  the 
people  understand  one  another;  for  I  see  but  little 
effect  from  what  is  said" — meaning  that  the  Gospel 
preached  had  but  little  visible  eflfcct. 

I  then  followed,  and  gave  some  .account  of  the 
mission,  the  work  of  God  among  the  Indians,  the 
school,  farm,  and  our  prospects  generally. 

Brother  Mononcue,  next  in  order,  addressed  the 
audience;  but  our  interpreter  was  too  much  fatigued 
to  give  his  speech  a  regular  interpretation.  It  was 
concluded  that  he  should  go  through,  and  then  he — 
the  interpreter — would  give  the  substance.  This  Mo- 
noncue did  with  all  the  thundering  eloquence  of  a 
Demosthenes;  and,  although  none  could  understand, 
yet  all  were  surprised  to  see  a  man  of  the  woods 
speak  with  so  much  natural  gesture.  I  have  no  doubt, 
if  the  audience  had  understood  his  address,  that  it 
would  have  had  a  very  fine  effect. 

Brother  Durbin  closed  the  exercises,  and  stated 
that  he  was  brought  up  with  strong  prejudices  against 
the  Indians,  for  some  of  his  relations  had  lallen  under 
their  tomahawk,  and  he  could  scarcely  believe  that  it 
was  possible  for  them  to  be  brought  under  the  influ- 
ence of  the  Gospel.  But  at  the  camp  meeting  before 
spoken  v.1,  he  had  determined  to  make  the  proof,  and 


Du  11  bin's  speech. 


481 


placed  himself  whore  he  could  see  thorn,  while  his 
friend — pointing  to  me — was  preaching  to  them  by 
an  interpreter.  Said  he, "  I  selected  this  man,  [point- 
ing to  Mononcue,]  as  my  subject;  and  while  the 
speaker  was  pointing  out  sin  and  its  dreadful  effects 
on  the  heart  of  man,  I  saw  a  gloom  cover  the  coun- 
tenance of  my  tawny  friend,  as  a  thick  cloud,  and 
despondency  was  pictured  in  every  feature  of  his 
face.  But  when  the  minister  spoke  of  the  love  of 
God  to  man,  in  the  gift  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  redemp- 
tion from  all  sin,  through  his  blood,  this  gloom  was 
dispersed,  as  the  heavy  fog  before  the  rising  sun. 
When  he  spoke  of  conviction  and  conversion,  then 
the  tears  began  to  flow  freely  from  his  joyful  eyes, 
and  a  flame  was  Jcindled  up  in  his  soul,  shining  with 
a  brightness  that  spoke  the  state  of  his  mind.  All 
my  prejudices  fled  from  me,  and  I  felt  as  if  I  wanted 
to  take  him  in  my  arms;  for  my  feelings  mingled 
with  his,  and  I  said,  ^It  is  true  that  God  has  also 
called  these  natives  of  the  forest  to  be  heirs  of  his 
kingdom.' " 

Brother  Durbin,  with  his  thrilling  eloquence,  soon 
had  his  auditory  on  the  wing,  and  feasted  them  with 
the  sweets  that  flow  from  the  truths  of  the  Gospel. 
Between-the-Logs  closed  with  prayer,  which  was  re- 
sponded to  with  many  amens. 

We  left  our  New  York  friends  with  feelings  of 
deep  gratitude,  and  made  our  way  to  Philadelphia. 
Here  we  were  received  with  great  satisfaction  and 

friendship,  by  the  late  Dr.  Thomas   F.  Sargent,  of 

81 


482 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


blessed  memory.  We  were  conducted  to  the  houso 
of  brother  Samuel  Merwin,  then  preacher  in  charge, 
where  we  staid  during  our  visit.  This  family  en- 
deared themselves  to  us,  by  their  unremitting  kind- 
ness. We  held  several  meetings  in  the  city,  and 
attended  a  camp  meeting  below  it,  where  the  chiefs 
spoke  to  the  people  with  much  eflfect.  Our  friends  in 
the  city  took  great  pains  to  show  us  all  the  public 
works.  Dr.  Sargent,  brothers  Merwin  and  Engles, 
with  others,  took  us  to  see  the  water-works;  and 
after  having  surveyed  them,  we  all  sat  down  in  the 
shade  to  rest.  Dr.  Sargent  said  to  Between-the-Logs, 
"Are  not  these  works  wonderfully  constructed?" — 
seeking  to  draw  from  these  men  some  expression 
of  astonishment  at  what  they  had  seen.  "Yes,"  he 
replied,  "  the  Great  Spirit  has  given  you  white  people 
great  power  to  know  and  do  things ;  and  if  you  make 
a  good  use  of  it,  it  will  be  well  with  you;  but  if  you 
do  not,  it  would  have  been  better  for  you  to  be  as 
poor  and  ignorant  as  we."  This  answer  rather  sur- 
prised the  Doctor.  We  returned  to  our  lodging 
places,  and  remained  with  these  benevolent  people 
till  after  the  Sabbath,  and  spent  a  day  of  peaceful 
worshiping  with  them,  to  the  comfort  and  edification 
of  all;  and  left  them  on  Monday  morning,  with 
grateful  impressions  that  will  never  be  erased,  and 
proceeded  on  to  Baltimore. 

We  were  met  at  the  wharf  by  Bishop  Soule,  and 
many  friends.  The  Bishop  conducted  us  to  his  own 
house,  where  we  remained  as  at  home,  iu  tho  bosom 


BALTIMOR  E — 0  REAT    INTEREST.       483 


5ful 


md 


of  his  kind  family,  who  did  every  thing  to  make  us 
comfortable  and  happy.  Traveling,  as  we  had  been, 
in  the  midst  of  a  community,  who,  either  from  re- 
ligious motives,  was  desirous  of  seeing  us,  or  was  led 
on  by  curiosity,  our  company  incessantly  increased. 
This,  together  with  the  heat,  had  worn  down  my 
companions,  till  they  were  fatigued,  and  longed  for 
the  cooling  brooks  and  shades  of  the  forest.  But 
the  company  of  their  favorite  friends,  Bishops  M'Ken- 
dree  and  Soule,  cheered  them  very  much.  Our  dear 
old  father  M'Kendree  did  us  much  good  by  his  patri- 
archal advice  and  kindness. 

We  had  several  meetings  in  Baltimore,  and  such 
were  the  crowds  that  thronged  the  streets  near  the 
churches,  that  it  took  us  a  considerable  time  to  get 
through  them;  and  so  many  persons  wished  to  shake 
hands  and  speak  with  the  chiefs,  that  frequently  it 
took  half  an  hour  to  get  into  the  carriages.  Great 
interest  was  excited,  and  strong  impressions  were 
made  in  this  city  in  favor  of  missions,  and  of  evan- 
gelizing the  Indians.  Hundreds  of  good  people,  who 
had  only  heard,  now  saw  the  power  of  the  Gospel 
manifested  in  the  conversion  of  those  chiefs,  and 
heard  from  their  lips  the  wonderful  things  of  God. 

The  Baltimore  camp  meeting  was  held  during  our 
stay  in  that  city,  in  July,  at  which  we  attended.  On 
Babbath,  at  11  o'clock,  Between-the-Logs  and  myself 
were  to  address  the  congregation.  I  led  the  way  by 
preaching  from  Rom.  i,  14:  "I  am  not  ashamed  of 
the  Gospel  of  Christ,"  etc. 


484 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


After  I  had  concluded,  Between-the-Logs  took  the 
stand,  and  commenced  his  address  by  stating  that  he 
was  a  child,  born  and  raised  in  the  woods,  and  that 
he  knew  nothing  of  the  true  religion;  "nor  had  I," 
said  he,  "  till  lately,  ever  heard  the  name  of  Jesus — 
that  name  so  precious — that  name  which  kindles  a 
fire  in  my  heart,  that  burns  on  every  breath.  I  was 
taught  to  worship  the  Great  Spirit  by  feasts,  dances, 
and  rattles;  when  that  was  done,  I  thought  all  was 
well.  I  pursued  the  game  through  our  deep  forests 
with  great  delight ;  but  then  there  was  not  the  sound 
of  a  white  man's  ax  to  be  heard  on  the  other  side 
of  the  Ohio.  The  French  then  sent  a  Catholic  priest, 
and  he  taught  us  to  worship  God  by  wearing  a  cross 
and  counting  our  beads,  and  praying  to  the  Virgin 
Mary  to  take  pity  on  us;  and  then  we  thought  all 
was  well,  although  we  continued  to  drink  as  before. 
But  a  few  years  since  the  Gospel,  which  God  had  ap- 
pointed to  go  into  all  nations,  came  to  our  nation; 
and  although  the  instrument  was  weak,  yet  the  word 
was  powerful,  and  took  hold  of  our  hearts,  and  showed 
us  what  we  were.  These  ministers  pointed  us  to 
Jesus,  the  Savior  of  sinners,  and  the  Savior  of  the 
whole  world,  and  directed  us  to  pray  to  him.  We  did 
so,  and  God  had  mercy  on  us,  and  forgave  our  sins. 
Many  of  my  nation  are  this  day  rejoicing  in  the  love 
of  God.  This  Gospel  is  a  spirit  of  peace.  It  has 
made  peace  between  us  who  were  once  great  enemies, 
and  shed  each  other's  blood.  But  the  Oreat  Spirit 
has  taken  the  tomahawk  out  of  our  hands,  and  \X% 


INDIAN    tREACUlNG    BY    SluMS. 


486 


lid 

IS. 


love  has  taken  it  out  of  our  hearts,  and  buried  it  so 
deep  that  it  will  never  rise  again ;  and  this  peace  shall 
go  to  all  people,  and  it  will  bury  all  war,  and  make 
all  the  world  love  like  brothers ;  for  Jesus  died  him- 
self to  make  peace.     Yes,  my  brothers,  he  died!" 

Here  he  commenced  giving  a  description  of  the 
crucifixion;  but  brother  Brown,  the  interpreter,  be- 
came so  sick  that  he  could  not  proceed.  Between- 
the-Logs  told  him  to  sit  down,  and  he  would  proceed 
without  him.  Now,  this  high-souled  woods  preacher 
knew  that  he  must  make  himself  understood  chiefly 
by  signs.  He  spoke  the  name  of  Jesus  plainly,  which 
was  a  great  help  to  understanding  his  signs.  In  show- 
ing how  Jesus  prayed  for  his  enemies,  he  fell  down 
upon  his  knees  and  lifted  up  his  hands  and  streaming 
eyes  to  heaven.  This  sign  was  understood,  and  felt 
throughout  the  whole  assembly,  of,  perhaps,  ten  thou- 
sand people.  He  then  rose,  and  placing  his  left  h^nd 
against  the  post  that  supported  the  stand,  with  his 
forefinger  he  placed  the  nail,  and  then,  with  his  hand 
closed,  he  drove  it,  exclaiming,  "  Jesus !  Jesus !"  He 
then  showed  his  feet  were  nailed  to  the  tree.  This 
scene  was  so  descrintive  that  I  believe  all  understood 
it  Thousands  were  lifting  up  their  voices  in  praises 
to  God.  Looking  up  to  the  sun,  he  put  his  finger  on 
one  of  his  eyes  and  said,  "Now  that  sun  closes  his 
eye  to  sleep — this  earth  trembles,  and  Jesus  the  Son 
of  God  dies!"  At  this  moment  the  congregation 
manifested  great  emotion — a  high  state  of  feeling 
was  shown — the  weeping  and  shouting  was  very  loud. 


486 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


To  close  his  description  of  the  scene,  this  eloquent 
chief  then  leaned  his  head  on  his  left  shoulder,  sig- 
nifying that  Christ  had  dismissed  his  spirit.  Then 
he  turned  his  right  side  to  the  congregation,  and  with 
his  left  hand  pulled  up  his  vest;  and  with  his  right 
hand,  representing  a  spear,  he  struck  his  side  as 
though  he  had  pierced  to  his  heart,  and  drew  it  back 
quick  with  a  whizzing  noise,  as  if  you  had  heard  the 
blood  streaming,  and  held  his  hand  out  as  though  the 
blood  was  dropping  from  it  as  from  the  point  of  the 
spear. 

This  was  a  scene  beyond  description.  The  whole 
congregation  was  in  a  flood  of  tears,  and  expressed 
their  feelings  by  shouts  of  joy.  Bishop  Soule,  and, 
perhaps,  twenty  preachers,  were  sitting  in  the  stand 
behind;  and  while  they  were  filled  with  astonishment, 
their  souls  were  kindled  into  flames  of  joy.  After 
the  extraordinary  impulse  had  somewhat  subsided, 
Between-the-Logs  commenced  talking  to  the  Bible, 
which  lay  on  the  stand  before  him.  He  turned  it 
over,  while  the  great  drops  of  tears  fell  from  his 
eyes  upon  it.  At  last,  he  took  it  up  and  laid  it  on 
his  breast,  and  clasped  both  his  arms  around  it,  and 
Mfting  up  his  eyes  toward  heaven,  he  exclaimed, 
"  Durah-ma-yah !  durah-ma-y  ah !  Ho-men-de-zu  e ! 
[Halleluiah!  halleluiah  to  the  Great  Spirit!]  Do-za- 
raah !  de-za-mah,  Jesus !"  He  then  turned  to  Bishop 
Soule,  and  handing  the  Bible  to  him.  raid,  "Here, 
take  this  good  book  of  God,  and  give  it  to  your 
preachers,  whom  God  has  sent,  and  tell  them  to  go 


THRILLING    EFFECT  —  WAUGH. 


481 


quickly,  and  carry  it  to  all  nations,  for  God  hath 
8ent  you." 

I  have  often  heard  this  great  unlettered  man  of 
the  woods  in  his  most  eloquent  strains  of  heavenly 
love,  but  never  before  saw  him  so  overwhelmed  with 
the  love  and  power  of  God.  Nor  did  I  ever  witness 
such  effects  on  an  audience.  Many  who  were  present 
will  read  this  very  faint  description  of  the  scene,  but 
will  have  to  say  that  the  half  has  not  been  told. 

We  attended  another  camp  meeting  in  Severn  cir- 
cuit, not  far  from  Baltimore.  Here  both  our  Indian 
chiefs  spoke  with  great  advantage  to  the  missionary 
cause;  and  many  were  this  day  awakened  to  the 
great  and  important  work  of  sending  the  Gospel  to 
all  the  world.  Brother  B.  Waugh  made  a  powerful 
appeal  to  thousands  in  behalf  of  the  poor  Indians 
and  the  millions  of  the  human  race  who  were  perish- 
ing for  the  bread  of  life.  But  these  transient  con- 
victions dying  away,  how  soon  do  we  fall  into  a  sleep, 
and  dream  of  the  world — its  riches,  its  honors,  its 
pleasures!  But  death  will  soon  knock  at  our  doors, 
and  say,  "Give  an  account  of  thy  stewardship,  for 
thou  mayest  be  no  longer  steward."  Then  it  will  be 
too  late,  and  we  shall  say  in  despair,  "The  harvest 
is  past,  the  summer  is  ended,  and  we  are  not  saved." 

I  will  here  entertain  the  reader  with  an  address 
which  I  heard  on  a  certain  occasion — in  a  love-feast, 
in  December,  1837.     A  good,  simple-hearted  German 
arose  in  the  love-feast,  and,  after  a  brief  iniroduc 
tiofl,  said,  "I  am  very  bad  man.     I  have  vowed  to 


488 


LIFE    AM  ONI    THE    INDIANS 


tlio  Lord,  but  I  have  not  paid  my  vows.  When  I  did 
read  de  'counts  of  de  missions,  I  did  bromish  mine 
Got  I  vould  give  'im  den  thallers  a  year  for  dem  mis- 
sions; but  I  did  not  do  it.  Den  de  Lord  did  take 
from  me  eight  hunder  thallers;  and  I  went  to  do 
glass  meetin',  and  de  breacher  did  aks  me,  'Vot  is  de 
matter?'  and  I  did  say,  *I  am  a  bad  man.  I  did 
bromish  de  Lord  den  thallers  a  year  for  de  missions, 
and  I  did  not  do  it.  And  now  dare  is  my  pocket- 
book — dake  it  out,  for  I  am  'fraid  I  vill  not  pay  mine 
vows.'  Every  year  since  I  has  paid  de  Lord  de  den 
thallers;  and  he  has  given  me  back  mine  monej',  and 
more  too,  and  he  has,  last  night,  conwerted  my  two 
childer." 

How  much  is  lost  by  covetousness,  and  by  not 
laying  up  in  the  Lord's  treasury !  It  is  in  that  bank 
only  that  deposits  are  perfectly  safe,  "  where  neither 
moth  nor  rust  doth  corrupt,  and  where  thieves  do  not 
break  through  nor  steal." 

From  this  meeting  we  returned  to  Baltimore,  and 
in  a  few  days  took  leave  of  our  friends  in  that  city, 
and,  in  company  with  the  venerable  Bishop  M'Ken- 
dree,  we  visited  Washington  City.  Here  v/e  were 
met  by  the  Hon.  Judge  M'Lean  and  others,  and  took 
lodgings  at  the  Judge's,  by  arrangement  and  previous 
invitation.  We  spent  a  few  days  in  the  city,  and 
visited  Alexandria,  and  from  thence  set  out  for  the 
west. 

The  hope  of  soon  reaching  home  gave  us  a  cheer- 
fulness we  had  not  felt  for  some  time.    Bishop  Soule 


ARRIVAL   AT    HOME. 


489 


and  brother  Durbin  accompanied  us,  as  tliey  were 
bouua  westward,  so  that  ^  e  had  a  very  pleasant  trip ; 
and  after  an  absence  of  nearly  three  months,  we  all 
arrived  safe  at  home. 

It  was  very  obvious  that  the  health  of  Betwcen- 
tho-Logs  was  declining  fast,  from  a  consumption  that 
had  been  progressyig  for  some  time.  Although  he 
was  scarcely  able  to  attend  meeting,  yet  he  did  so 
till  a  short  time  before  his  death,  which  occurred  on 
the  first  day  of  January,  1827. 

On  our  arrival  at  home,  our  brethren  gave  an 
account  of  their  journey,  and  of  the  great  things 
they  had  seen  and  heard  of  religion;  what  a  great 
number  of  good  people  they  had  seen;  and  how 
much  they  were  engaged  to  send  the  Gospel  into  all 
the  world.  They  exhorted  their  people  to  fe^^l  the 
same  spirit,  and  to  hold  fast  their  Christian  profes- 
sion, without  wavering,  to  the  end,  that  they  might 
at  last  be  brought  to  meet  their  brothers  and  sisters 
in  heaven  above. 

We  found  that,  during  our  absence  on  this  journey, 
the  work  had  still  progressed,  under  the  watchful 
care  and  faithful  labors  of  Rev.  J.  C.  Brooke  and 
wife.  The  mission  school  was  in  the  full  tide  of  suc- 
cessful operation. 


the 


er- 
lule 


400 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

DIVISION  OF  THE  WYANDOTT  LANDS. 

At  the  close  of  this  year,  my  health  was  too  much 
impaired  to  warrant  my  continuance  in  the  mission. 
Accordingly,  Rev.  James  Gilruth  was  appointed  mis- 
sionary, while  I  was  continued  as  superintendent. 

During  this  year  the  mission  suifercd  a  great  loss, 
in  the  death  of  Between-the-Logs,  of  which  we  have 
given  an  account  in  another  volume.  Bishop  M'Ken- 
dree  also  paid  his  final  visit  to  the  mission  in  June 
of  the  same  year.  No  man  ever  took  a  deeper 
interest  in  Indian  missions,  or  the  welfare  of  the 
Indians.  He  visited  the  mission  three  times  in  per- 
son, examined  all  our  plans  of  operation,  as  well  as 
the  progress  of  the  children  in  learning  to  read,  write, 
and  their  advancement  in  the  arts  of  husbandry  and 
housewifery.  He  set  the  example  of  industry,  and 
gave  them  many  interesting  lectures.  He  visited 
from  house  to  house,  and  ate  at  their  tables;  con- 
versed freely  on  all  subjects  that  pertained  to  their 
spiritual  and  temporal  welfare,  and  gave  such  advice 
a.'i  his  best  judgment  dictated.  The  whole  nation 
venerated  and  loved  him,  and  when  he  made  a  visit, 
it  was  a  time  of  rejoicing  with  us  all.  The  last  visit 
he  made  was  a  most  interesting  one,  and  especially 


COUNCIL  —  BISHOPS    ADDRESS. 


491 


the  council   he  held  with  twenty  of  the  chiefs   and 
principal  men. 

This  council  was  held  near  the  house  of  An-daw- 
yaw-way — or  Peacock — under  the  shade  of  some  wild 
cherry  trees.  When  all  were  assembled,  the  Bishop 
and  the  whole  assembly  with  him,  bowed  before  the 
throne  of  grace,  and  he  offered  up  prayers  to  God 
for  the  mission,  school,  nation,  and  for  the  universal 
spread  of  Christian  principles,  till  all  the  world  should 
embrace  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  and  the  blessings  of 
civilization,  and  for  God's  blessing  on  the  delibera- 
tions of  the  council.         ' 

After  prayer,  he  addressed  them  in  the  following 
manner:  "Dear  brothers!  God,  in  whose  hands  are 
all  our  lives,  and  all  our  blessings,  has  brought  us 
together  this  day,  in  health  and  peace;  and  it  has 
been  with  some  pain  and  affliction  that  I  have  got 
here,  to  see  and  speak  to  you  once  more.  I  am 
getting  old.  My  head  is  white,  and  my  limbs  are 
stiff.  I  can  not  walk  or  ride,  as  I  once  could.  I 
am  drawing  nigh  to  my  grave.  But  although  my 
body  is  old  and  almost  worn  out,  yet  my  soul  feels 
as  young  as  ever,  and  I  still  feel  as  if  I  wanted  to 
travel  to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  to  preach  Jesus  as 
the  Savior  of  all  men.  I  have  called  you  together 
at  this  time,  to  hear  from  you  Avhat  your  enjoyments 
are,  and  to  know  how  your  school  and  societies  pros 
per;  what  your  national  concerns  are,  and  whethci 
you  could  suggest  any  thing  that  could  be  of  advant- 
age, or  promotive  of  your  general  welfare.     I  also 


■'Si 


492 


LtFfi    AMONQ    ttl&    lNr)tANS. 


wish  some  account  of  your  history,  customs,  or  man- 


ners. 


it 


After  some  deliberation,  one  of  the  chiefs  arose 
and  stated  that,  so  far  as  he  was  able  to  judge,  the 
Church  was  doing  well;  that  all  who  had  families, 
kept  up  prayer  night  and  morning;  and  it  was  now 
delightful  to  hear,  instead  of  the  drunkard's  song  and 
yell,  the  sound  of  the  Indian  flute,  and  the  beat  of 
the  turtle-shell,  rolling  from  every  house  almost,  down 
the  plains  of  the  Sandusky.  Instead  of  the  yell  of 
the  murderer,  flying,  after  having  given  the  fatal 
stab  or  blow  with  his  knife  or  tomahawk,  to  some 
one  of  the  nation,  and  the  cries  of  his  weeping  wife 
and  children,  peace  now  covers  every  wigwam  and 
house,  and  the  songs  of  the  pious,  and  the  prayers 
of  the  father  and  mother  are  rising  up  to  the  Great 
Spirit. 

"  0  father,"  said  he,  "  this  makes  our  hearts  rejoice 
greatly.  Our  children  now  join  with  us  in  these 
exercises;  and  when  they  come  home  from  school, 
they  sing  of  Jesus,  and  talk  of  Jesus,  and  tell  us 
they  are  happy.  This  makes  the  tears  flow  from  our 
eyes,  and  our  poor  hearts  are  made  glad.  We  often 
thank  God  and  his  good  people,  for  sending  this 
blessed  Gospel  to  us,  teaching  us  and  our  children 
the  way  to  be  happy.  Our  class  meetings  are  well 
attended;  and  when  we  meet  together,  if  there  are 
some  of  us  dull  and  heavy,  there  are  always  some 
who  are  not;  and  when  they  speak,  those  that  are 
dull  soon  catch  the  flame,  and  before  our  meetings 


INFLUUNOES    OF    UELIGION. 


493 


are  over,  we  are  all  made  strong  again  in  the  lore 
of  God.  This  meeting  is  very  good  for  us,  for  it 
keeps  us  up,  and  brings  us  nigh  together.  Here  we 
renew  our  acquaintance  every  week,  and  feel  like 
helping  one  another  on  the  way  to  the  good  world 
above.  Our  leaders  are  faithful  ir  their  work ;  they 
are  always  first,  and  at  the  time,  and  inquire  into  our 
state.  If  any  should  stumble  and  fall,  they  are  first 
to  help  to  lift  them  up. 

"Father,  we  are  a  very  weak  people,  and  are  just 
like  children  beginning  to  walk,  and  sometimes  we 
stumble  out  of  the  way,  and  sometimes  fall  down. 
But  our  ministers  and  loaders  watch  over  us;  and  if 
any  one  falls  and  gets  discouraged,  and  thinks  he 
must  give  out,  then  they  run  and  help  him,  so  that 
we  are  well  taken  care  of.  Our  prayer  meetings  are 
good,  and  well  attended ;  the  Gospel  is  preached  to 
us,  so  that  we  have  meat  for  the  weak,  and  meat  for 
the  strong. 

"  Religion  has  done  much  for  us  in  another  way. 
It  has  made  us  more  industrious.  In  old  times  our 
women  had  to  do  all  the  hard  work ;  raise  our  corn, 
cut  our  wood,  and  carry  it ;  dress  our  skins,  make  and 
mend  our  moccasins  and  leggins ;  cook  our  victuals, 
and  wash  our  clothes.  The  men  did  nothing  but 
hunt  and  drink,  and  feast  and  dance.  But  now  men 
have  seen  it  was  their  duty  not  to  make  pack-horses 
of  their  wives  and  children,  but  to  work  themselves. 
So  you  see,  father,  since  you  first  came  among  us, 
how  our  houses  have  changed.     Instead  of  the  wig- 


M 


J4: 


M:} 


494 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


wain,  we  have  hewed  log-houses,  shingled  roofs,  and 
good  brick  chimneys.  We  have  beds  to  sleep  on  at 
night,  and  chairs  to  sit  down  on,  and  tables  at  which 
to  cat ;  and  these  are  kept  clean  by  our  wives.  They 
now  work  in  the  house,  and  we  work  out  in  the  field. 
Now  religion  has  done  all  this  for  us ;  and  as  it  is  a 
clean  thing,  and  a  working  thing,  it  makes  all  clean 
where  it  comes,  and  sets  all  to  work  right. 

"Before  it  came  among  us,  we  were  a  lazy  and 
dii'ty  people.  You  see  our  fields  are  made  large, 
and  well  fenced  with  good  rails,  instead  of  brush. 
We  have  horses  and  oxen,  and  plows,  to  work  them 
with,  instead  of  our  squaws  and  their  hoes.  You  see 
that  our  plains  have  much  increased  in  stock,  which 
we  used  to  starve  to  death  in  winter  j  but  now  we  cut 
and  make  hay  for  our  cattle,  and  we  have  a  great 
increase.  We  are  a  happier  people  now  than  we  ever 
were ;  and  we  think  we  are  a  much  better  people  now 
than  we  ever  were." 

Here  the  speaker  was  reminded  by  the  rest  of 
another  topic,  which  he  was  likely  to  forget,  and  he 
continued : 

"  There  is  another  thing  we  were  accustomed  to  do 
in  our  dark  state.  We  used  to  change  our  wives  when- 
ever we  chose  so  to  do ;  sometimes  for  the  slightest 
<  ffense,  and  often  to  gratify  our  evil  passions.  Some 
men  and  women  changed  their  wives  and  husbands 
oftener  than  they  did  their  dirty  clothes.  This  we 
.iid  ignorantly,  for  then  we  did  not  know  it  was  any 
harm.    But  it  was  a  great  evil,  and  brought  great 


/ 


GOOD    EFFECTS    CONTINUED 


49.' 


distress  sometimes  on  our  women  and  children,  and 
often  great  quarrels  among  men.  We  now  see  plainly 
that  those  who  ran  about  so,  and  were  not  contented 
with  any  one  but  for  a  few  weeks  or  days,  never 
raised  any  children.  They  alwaiys  died  when  they 
were  young.  Now  this  practice  is  almost  entirely 
done  away  with,  and  our  people  get  lawfully  married, 
and  live  happy.  We  now  see  why  God  gave  man 
this  good  law  of  marriage.  But  there  is  another 
thing  which  speaks  for  itself,  and  that  is,  before  God 
sent  us  these  ministers  and  the  Gospel,  we  were  a 
lation  of  drunkards — both  men  and  women,  and  chil- 
dren, with  but  few  exceptions.  This  was  the  worst 
of  all  our  sins;  for  as  soon  as  whisky  and  rum  got 
into  us,  it  brought  murder  into  our  hearts;  and  when 
drunk,  we  were  all  out  of  our  senses.  Sometimes  we 
killed  our  wives,  children,  and  friends.  It  made  us 
poor,  starved  our  wives  and  children,  made  us  beggars 
and  thieves,  and  brought  the  worst  of  evils  upon  us. 
Many  of  our  people,  by  running  their  horses  while 
drunk,  have  been  thrown  off  and  killed.  Many  oth- 
ers have  been  frozen  to  death  when  drunk.  Some 
have  fallen  into  the  fire,  and  were  burned  to  death. 
We  call  this  fire-water  the  destroyer  of  our  nation. 
Yet  the  whites  brought  it  in  barrels  all  around  us; 
almost  in  every  house,  and  gave  it  till  we  got  a  taste 
then  there  was  no  stop  till  all  we  had  was  taken 
from  us. 

"  Now,  brother,  we  are  much  indebted  to  brother 
Finley  for  the  victory  we  have  obtained  over  this 


M' 


496 


LIFE    AMONG    TUE    INDIANS. 


dreadful  enemy.  He  lifted  up  his  warning  voice,  and 
showed  us  this  great  evil.  He  did  not  go  behind  the 
trader's  back,  but  to  his  face  told  him  and  us  of  this 
great  sin.  The  traders  and  the  drinking  Indians  hated 
him,  and  tried  every  way  to  put  him  down.  They 
strove,  too,  to  turn  us  against  him.  Yet  he  never 
minded,  but  kept  at  us,  day  and  night,  to  leave  it  off, 
and  we  could  not  withstand  his  words.  They  were 
good  and  strong  words.  Many  of  our  chiefs  joined 
in  with  him ;  and  they  all  took  fast  hold  of  this  evil, 
and  cast  it  out.  The  traders  used  to  send  for  some 
of  our  drinking  Indians,  and  give  it  to  them  till  they 
would  get  drunk,  and  then  send  them  to  quarrel  with 
the  rest.  At  last,  brother  Finley  proposed  that  we 
should  have  a  store  of  our  own  for  the  nation ;  and  he 
showed  us  that  it  would  be  much  better  for  us.  Our 
goods  would  not  cost  us  half  so  much  as  they  did 
now,  and  then  we  could  always  get  a  fair  r  ice  for 
our  fur  and  skins ;  then  our  people  would  not  be  ex- 
posed to  this  o;reat  evil,  and  to  the  impositions  of  the 
traders.  He  proposed  that  we  should  set  apart  a 
portion  of  our  annuities  for  this  purpose,  and  that 
the  store  should  be  the  common  stock  of  the  na- 
tion, and  the  profits  should  be  equally  divided.  Af- 
ter much  deliberation,  we  thought  it  would  be  a 
good  plan,  and  we  agreed  to  it;  and  when  brother 
Finley  and  the  chiefs  went  to  the  great  city,  the  ar- 
rangements and  the  oversight  of  this  store  were  com- 
mi:ted  to  li:m  and  the  agent,  and  one  of  our  young 
men,  William  Walker,  who  was  eminently  qualified  to 


THE    BISHOP    S    VALEDICTORY. 


497 


a 


mg 
to 


take  the  charge  of  it.  We  have  found  this  to  be  one 
of  the  best  things  for  us ;  so  that  we  are  now  sup- 
plied with  our  goods  at  half  what  they  used  to  cost  us. 
Now  this  great  temptation  is  somewhat  removed  from 
»is,  so  that  there  is  now  not  more  than  fifteen  persons, 
)r  thereabout,  in  our  nation,  that  will  drink  at  all. 
From  a  nation  of  drunkards^  we  have  become  a  sober 
people." 

In  this  interview,  the  chiefs  spoke  of  the  schools 
with  great  modesty,  saying  that  we  were  the  best 
judges  of  their  utility — that  we  could  see  and  judge 
for  ourselves,  but  that  they  calculated  to  derive  great 
benefit  from  them. 

The  Bishop  then  arose,  and  gave  them  his  vale- 
dictory, telling  them  that  they  should  see  his  face  no 
more;  and  that  he  wished  these,  his  last  words,  to 
sink  deep  into  their  hearts,  so  that  they  might  never 
let  go  their  present  religion  and  its  enjoyments. 
"You  see  and  acknowledge,"  said  he,  "that  it  has 
done  great  good  for  you  and  your  children.  It  has 
driven  away  your  darkness,  and  opened  your  minds 
to  God,  your  Father,  shining  on  you  through  Jesus 
Christ  your  Savior,  and  you  can  thus  read  your  title 
to  heaven.  This  glorious  hope  swells  your  bosoms 
with  peace  and  heavenly  joy.  The  Holy  Spirit  bears 
witness  with  your  hearts  that  you  are  born  of  God: 
and  if  you  hold  fast,  I  shall  meet  you  in  that  happy 
world,  never  to  part  more.  Let  the  chiefs  and  leaders 
keep  up  a  faithful  watch  over  the  Church  and  nation; 

and  exert  yourselves,  like  good  men,  to  put  a  stop  to 

32 


|:.i 


Si 


498 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


all  vice,  ind  encourage  virtue  by  all  means  that  lie 
in  your  power. 

"Keep  your  children  at  school,  and  set  a  good 
example  before  them,  and  they  will  grow  up  to  be 
good  men  and  women,  and  bless  your  nation  when 
you  are  gone.  If  you  should  see  any  thing  wrong, 
you  can  correct  it,  by  writing  to  one  of  the  bishops, 
or  by  attending  one  of  the  annu.\l  conferences  of  the 
preachers,  and  make  it  known  tc  them.  They  all 
love  you  and  your  nation.  Be  indastrious.  Treat 
your  wives  with  great  tenderness  and  kindness.  God 
gave  them  to  you  for  your  comfort  and  help ;  and  if 
your  property  should  increase,  do  not  set  your  hearts 
upon  it.  Live  in  peace,  and  the  God  of  peace  shall 
preserve  you  unto  eternal  life." 

We  then  again  addressed  the  throne  of  graje.  All 
were  much  affected  at  this  solemn  parting  season. 
After  prayer,  every  man  went  forward,  shook  hands 
with  this  blessed  servant  of  God,  asked  an  interest 
in  his  prayers,  and  promised  to  meet  him  in  heaven. 
The  Bishop  then  lifted  up  his  hands  to  heaven,  the 
tears  flowing  from  his  eyes,  and  pronounced  his  last 
benediction.  It  is  beyond  the  power  of  my  pen  to 
give  an  adequate  description  of  this  scene. 

When  we  left  the  mission  house,  on  this  occasion, 
an  Indian  sister  brought  me  two  small  bags  of  pro- 
visions, for  our  sustenance  through  the  wilderness, 
till  we  should  reach  the  settlement  on  the  waters 
of  Mad  river.  One  was  filled  with  parched  com, 
pounded  into  meal  and  sifted,  then  mi:?ed  with  sugar; 


COFFEE — A  PRIMITIVE  BISHOP.   4% 


And  the  other  contained  dried  venison,  pounded  fine 
in  a  mortar,  and  also  mixed  with  sugar.  These  1 
put  into  my  saddle-bags ;  and  when  we  had  journeyed 
eighteen  or  tAventy  miles,  to  the  crossing  of  the  Sci- 
oto river,  we  stopped  to  rest;  and  our  venerable 
Bishop,  being  much  fatigued,  spread  his  sheep-skin 
down  at  the  root  of  a  tree,  on  which  he  lay  down  to 
rest. 

Dr.  Soule  and  myself  went  in  quest  of  spring- 
water,  and  soon  found  some.  Here  I  introduced  my 
bag  of  parched  corn-meal,  and  poured  some  into  a 
tin  cup,  stirred  it  with  a  stick,  and  drank  it  off.  The 
Doctor  asked  me  what  it  was,  as  I  was  smacking  my 
lips,  after  the  delicious  draught.  I  told  him  I  was 
taking  a  cup  of  cold  coffee,  and  asked  him  if  he 
would  have  one.  After  telling  him  what  it  was,  he 
followed  my  example,  and  said  it  was  fine.  I  then 
mixed  one  for  Bishop  M'Kendree,  and  when  we  re- 
turned, found  this  great  and  good  man  of  God,  now 
old  and  worn  out  with  the  toils  of  life,  sleeping 
sweetly  at  the  root  of  a  beech-tree. 

How  very  different  the  condition  and  appearance 
of  this  itinerant,  apostolic  Bishop,  from  those  mitered 
heads,  who  enjoy  all  the  luxuries  of  life,  and  lord  it 
over  God's  heritage!  His  pillow  was  the  root  of  a 
tree,  his  bed  the  sheep-skin  on  which  he  rode,  his 
curtains  the  friendly  boughs  of  the  spreading  beech, 
heaven  his  canopy,  his  coffee  water,  corn-meal,  and 
sugar,  and  his  meat  dried  and  pounded  venison 
When  he  awoke,  I  asked  him  if  he  would  take  a  cup 


m 


500 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


of  our  missionary  coffee.  After  telling  him  what  it 
was  composed  of,  he  took  it,  and,  with  the  rest  of  us, 
thought  it  excellent  and  refreshing.  I  then  produced 
our  other  bag  of  venison  and  sugar.  We  all  sal 
down  together  on  the  ground,  and  partook  of  a  good 
meal,  which  very  much  refreshed  us.  Then  the 
Bishop  returned  thanks  to  almighty  God,  for  spread- 
ing such  a  table  for  us  in  the  wilderness. 

We  then  caught  our  horses,  that  were  feeding  on 
grass  and  brush,  and  went  on  our  way  rejoicing. 
The  old  gentleman  often  had  a  cup  of  this  coffee, 
on  our  journey,  and  said  it  agreed  well  with  his  dys- 
peptic condition.  He  and  the  Doctor  philosophized 
on  its  medicinal,  as  well  as  its  nutritive  properties. 
This  is  the  kind  of  provisions  the  Indian  mostly  car- 
ries when  he  is  on  a  long  journey,  and  on  a  war 
expedition. 

When  we  arrived  at  Urbana  we  were  safely  housed 
at  the  dwelling  of  our  beloved  friend.  Judge  Rey- 
nolds. At  dinner  the  Bishop  asked  me  to  prepare 
a  glass  of  our  cold  coffee,  which  he  exhibited  as  a 
curiosity,  and  of  which  all  at  the  table  tasted.  The 
general  conclusion  was,  that  it  was  excellent. 

Our  Indians  were  very  anxious  to  have  their  lands 
divided,  in  order  that  they  might  the  more  effectually 
promote  the  arts  and  habits  of  agriculturo.  In  Oc- 
tober, 1827,  I  wrote  to  Governor  Cass,  requesting 
him  to  lay  down  some  principles  by  which  we  might 
settle  this  important  matter;  for  we  found  it  very 
difficult  to  adjust  it,  so  as  to  suit  the  convenience, 


PRINCIPLES    OF    LAND    DIVISION.     501 

the   tastes,  and  the  wishes  of  all  the  parties   con- 
cerned. 

The  following  is  the  substance  of  his  reply,  which 
was  soon  after  received.  We  insert  it,  as  it  embodies 
the  principles  on  which  the  division  was  actually  ef- 
fected: 


"As  soon  as  the  subdivision  has  taken  place,  I  should 
recommend  that  a  tract  of  suitable  size  be  assigned 
ko  each  family.  I  doubt  whether  a  larger  tract  than 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  will  be  useful  to  any 
family ;  but  if  doubts  should  be  entertained  on  that 
subject,  the  tracts  might  be  apportioned  to  the  size 
of  the  family,  exceeding,  in  no  case,  a  half  section. 
But  it  is  much  better  that  they  should  content  them- 
selves with  moderate-sized  farms,  which  they  could 
manage,  than  that  they  should  be  anxious  for  large 
tracts,  which  they  would  never  cultivate. 

"  So  far  as  improvements  have  been  made  by  in- 
dividuals, it  would  be  proper  to  assign  to  them  the 
tract  upon  which  such  improvement  is  made;  and, 
in  all  cases,  to  gratify  the  wishes  of  each  in  the  se- 
lection, as  far  as  possible.  Where  there  are  irrecon- 
cilable claims  of  two  or  more  individuals  to  the  same 
tract,  there  will  be  no  remedy,  but  to  decide  the 
question  by  lot. 

"  After  each  family  is  supplied,  let  the  remaindei 
be  considered  as  a  common  stock,  out  of  which  each 
new  family,  as  they  are  formed  in  succession,  shall 
be  supplied  on  the  same  principles,  till  the  whole 


502 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


reservation  is  occupied  As  this  will  require  a  long 
time,  we  need  not  speculate  upon  what  course  cir- 
cumstances may  then  render  it  necessary  to  adopt. 

"It  should  be  distinctly  understood  that  the  right 
of  property  of  all  the  tracts  is  in  the  Wyandott 
nation,  and  that  individual  families  have  only  a  right 
of  possession.  This  right  must,  however,  be  sacred, 
so  long  as  any  branch  of  the  family  continues  in  the 
occupancy.  But  there  should  be  no  authority  to  sell ; 
for  if  there  is,  the  improvident  will  soon  divest  them- 
selves of  all  property,  and  it  will  be  accHmulated,  as 
it  is  among  us,  by  a  portion  of  the  community.  This 
principle  should  be  rigidly  observed;  and  no  family 
should  own  more,  r.or  any  less,  than  the  quantity 
assigned  to  it. 

"No  objection,  very  material,  occurs  to  me  against 
the  exchange  of  farms ;  only  I  am  inclined  to  believe, 
that  if  it  is  distinctly  understood,  at  first,  that  no 
change,  either  by  purchase  or  exchange,  will,  under 
any  pretense,  be  permitted,  that  it  will  repress  much 
of  that  fickleness  which  is  too  often  occasioned  by 
the  mere  power  to  indulge  it.    • 

"I  think  this  division  of  property  is  important  to 
the  improvement  of  the  Wyandotts.  Till  men  are 
assured  that  they  will  receive  the  product  of  their 
own  labor,  it  is  vain  to  expect  any  efficient  exertions 
from  them.  I  think  these  people  are  now  very  eligi- 
bly situated,  and  it  depends  upon  themselves,  whether 
they  shall  be  respectable  and  happy.  I  am  glad  to 
find  that  they  are  improving  in  their  moral,  as  well 


PRINCIPLES    APPnOVED. 


t)OS 


as  their  physical  condition.  They  owe  every  thing 
to  the  establishment  which  you  have  founded  among 
them,  and  to  which  you  have  so  ably  and  zealously 
devoted  your  time,  health,  and  worldly  prospects. 
Your  reward  you  must  expect  hereafter.  You  never 
can  receive  it  here." 


no 
nder 
uch 

i>y 

to 

are 

leir 

ions 

la        • 

Iher 

to 

rell 


This  letter  was  read  in  a  council  of  the  chiefs,  and 
was  highly  approved  of;  and  they  agreed  that  the 
division  should  be  made  on  this  plan,  and  strictly 
adhered  to.  This  gave  a  good  impetus  to  improve- 
ment, and  the  increase  of  stock.  New  places  were 
now  selected,  and  every  man  commenced  operations 
for  himself.  Houses  now  went  up  in  almost  all  di»-jc- 
tions;  and  it  was  done  without  any  altercation.  Vil- 
lages were  evacuated,  and  industry  generally  pro- 
moted. Stock  was  increased,  and  much  improved  in 
a  short  time;  and  religion  and  civilization  went  on 
hand  in  hand. 

My  personal  connection  with  the  mission  was  now 
pretty  much  at  an  end ;  but  I  still  kept  up  a  corre- 
spondence with  the  converted  head  men  in  some  form 
or  other.  The  following  is  an  extract  of  a  letter 
received  from  Mononcue  in  1830 : 

"Your  letter  by  brother  Harrihoot  is  received; 
and  I  was  happy  to  hear  from  you,  and  to  hear  that 
you  were  well,  and  to  hear  what  the  Lord  has  done 
for  you  in  your  present  field  of  labor.  It  always 
rejoices  my  heart  to  hear  of  poor  sinners  coming 


liiii ! 


'^i 


504 


LIFE    AMONQ    lUC    INDIANS. 


home  to  Jesus,  from  the  darkness  of  sin,  and  the 
power  of  the  devil.  God  grant  that  the  religion  of 
Jesus  may  progress  more  and  more,  till  all  nations 
and  people  may  be  acquainted  with  his  great  sal- 
vation !  • 

"  Sister  Big-Tree  is  gone  to  rest.  She  died  on  the 
13th  inst.,  in  great  peace;  and  we  have  no  doubt  but 
she  entered  her  everlasting  home — the  bosom  of  God, 
in  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

"One  of  our  young  men  was  killed  by  another, 
about  two  or  three  weeks  ago.  The  murdered  was 
John  Barnet's  half  brother — the  murderer,  Soo-dee- 
nooks,  or  Black  Chief's  son.  The  sentence  of  the 
chiefs  was,  the  perpetual  banishment  of  the  mur- 
derer, and  the  confiscation  of  all  his  property.  When 
the  sentence  was  made  known  to  the  nation,  there 
was  a  general  dissatisfaction;  and  the  sentence  of 
the  chiefs  was  set  aside  by  the  nation.  On  Thursday 
morning,  about  daylight,  he  was  arrested  and  brought 
before  the  nation  assembled,  and  his  case  was  tried 
by  all  the  men — that  vote — over  the  age  of  twenty- 
one,  whether  he  should  live  or  die.  The  votes  were 
counted,  and  there  were  one  hundred  and  twelve  in 
favor  of  his  death,  and  twelve  in  favor  of  his  living. 
Sentence  of  death  was  accordingly  passed  against 
him;  and  on  the  second  Friday  he  was  shot  by  six 
men,  chosen  for  that  purpose — three  from  the  Chris- 
tian party,  and  three  from  the  heathen  party.  The 
executioners  were  Francis  Cotter,  Lurap-on-the-head, 
Silas  Armstrong,  Joe  Enos,  Soo-cuh-guess,  and  Saw 


A    CA6B    OF    Mt7Rt)fift. 


505 


yau-wa-hoy.  The  execution  was  conducted  in  Indian 
military  style ;  and  we  hope  it  will  be  a  great  warn- 
ing to  others,  and  be  the  means  of  j  'eventing  such 
crimes  hereafter." 


ing. 

inst 

six 

iris- 


Reader,  if  you  have  never  seen  any  account  of 
those  private  murders,  here  let  me  give  you  a  faint 
description  of  one  that  came  under  my  notice.  One 
night,  when  I  was  first  among  these  people,  lying  on 
the  floor  in  a  cabin,  not  far  from  the  big  road,  I 
heard,  about  midnight,  the  piercing  yells  of  an  In- 
dian, riding  as  fast  as  his  horse  could  go ;  and  every 
few  jumps  his  horse  would  take,  he  uttered  a  singular 
whoop  or  yell.  I  thought  it  was  a  drunken  Indian ; 
but  it  alarmed  the  Indians,  and  some  of  them  arose 
and  said,  "Somebody  kill."  They  understood  the 
sound — it  was  the  8ca?^  yell.  In  the  morning  we 
heard  that  one  of  our  neighbors  was  stabbed  by  the 
half-drunk  Indian  that  passed  down  the  road.  We 
went  up  to  see,  and  found  an  Indian  called  by  the 
name,  of  Big  George,  badly  wounded.  He  told  us 
that  he  did  not  know  that  the  Indian  who  stabbed 
him  had  any  spite  at  him.  "He  came,"  said  he, 
"last  night  about  midnight,  and  talked  very  kind, 
and  asked  me  to  let  him  in.  I  did  so.  I  then  wanted 
him  to  lie  down,  but  he  said  no.  I  then  sat  down  on 
the  bed  by  my  wife,  and  he  said,  *  I  must  go.'  As 
he  was  going  out  I  rose;  and  as  he  passed  me,  he 
struck  back  with  his  butcher-  knife,  and  drove  it  into 
my  side.     Then  he  jumped  out,  got  on  his  horse,  and 


60C 


LIFB    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


V^(\^  I'-  ■ 


fled.  I  then  opened  and  looked  at  the  wound.  I 
think  I  could  have  put  three  fingers  into  it.  It 
looked  as  if  the  knife  had  heen  drove  up  to  the 
handle." 

I  felt  great  sympathy  for  this  poor  man.  On  the 
third  day  he  died;  and,  in  his  dying  moments,  charged 
his  friends  not  to  kill  his  murderer,  for  that  the  judg- 
ment of  the  Great  Spirit  had  come  upon  him,  for 
having  himself,  in  his  drunken  hours,  killed  two  per- 
sons. I  labored  to  direct  him  to  Jesus,  and  exhorted 
him  to  forgive  his  murderer,  and  seek  pardon  for  all 
his  sins.  He  did  pray,  and  although  his  agony  wos 
great,  yet  he  manifested  a  patience  and  a  resignation 
that  astonished  us. 

After  his  burial,  the  old  head  chief  and  his  family 
held  a  council  with  his  wife  and  friends ;  for  the  mur- 
derer was  the  head  chief's  nephew.  He  presented 
his  wife  with  a  string  of  wampum,  some  other  prcs- 
Suts,  and  satisfied  her  friends,  so  that  the  murderer 
was  protected  from  the  .ivenger  of  blood.  ^ 

A  year  or  two  after,  this  woman  embraced  religion, 
and  I  received  her  into  the  Church.  Her  conversion 
was  clear  and  powerful.  A  few  months  after  her 
union  with  the  Church,  she  came  to  me  in  great  dis- 
tress, and  told  me  she  had  a  great  load  on  her  mind. 
I  asked  her  to  tell  me  what  it  was.  She  said,  that 
ever  since  God  had  opened  her  eyes,  and  changed 
her  heart,  she  had  felt  very  bad  to  see  those  things 
which  she  had  received  in  exchange  for  her  husband's 
blood,  and  she  could  not  rest  while  she  had  them  in 


sion 

her 

Idis- 

ind. 

that 

;ed 

igs 

Id's 


V  I  L  K  N  E  a  S    OF    T  HE    RUM    T  K  A  P  F  I  0 .     507 

her  possession.  She  asked  me  what  she  should  dr. 
with  them.  I  told  her  to  call  the  head  chief  and  his 
family,  and  then  tell  him,  that  since  God  had  changed 
lier  heart,  she  was  convinced  that  she  had  done  wrong 
in  taking  any  thing  as  the  price  of  her  husband's 
blood,  and  that  she  would  now  give  them  up :  not 
that  she,  or  any  of  her  friends,  intended  to  kill  the 
young  man,  but  that  they  would  give  his  case  into 
the  hands  of  God,  to  settle  it.  This  she  did  with 
great  mildness;  and  with  (ears  exhorted  them  to  seek 
the  Lord,  that  they  might  find  forgiveness  of  him. 
After  this  she  had  great  peace  of  mind,  and  married 
8um-mun-de-wat;  and  died  in  the  full  faith  and  tri- 
umphs of  the  Gospel. 

This  simple  narrative  will  give  the  reader  some  idea 
of  those  horrid  murders.  Committed,  as  they  arc, 
through  the  wicked  practice  of  making  and  vending 
ardent  spirits,  I  am  almost  brought  to  the  conchision 
that  every  man  who  makes  and  sells  this  destructive 
fire  of  hell  ought  to  be  i)unisbed  as  a  heinous  of- 
fender ;  and  be  confined  to  the   walls  of  ti 


tiary,  till  he  will  reform,  and  cease   to 
souls  and  bodies  of  his  fellow-men. 


nous 
a  peniten 
murd( 


the 


IQ 


508 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


>         CHAPTER  XX.  - 

BIOaRAPIIICAL  SKETCHES  AND  ANECDOTES. 

There  were  several  noted  Indians  to  whom  1 
wished  to  give  more  special  notice  than  could  well 
be  done  in  the  body  of  the  work.  Accordingly,  I 
have  grouped  them  together  in  this  concluding  chapter. 


I. 


CAPTAIN  JOHN. 


Captain  John  was  a  Shawnee.  He  was  a  chief 
of  that  nation;  and  in  1796  was  a  prominent  man, 
and  hac^  great  influence  not  only  in  his  own  tribe, 
but  was  esteemed  as  a  great  warrior,  and  a  desperate, 
bloodthirsty  savage,  especially  when  jnder  the  in- 
fluence of  intoxicating  drink.  He  was  over  six  feet 
high,  and  well  made  in  proportion — strong,  athletic, 
and  swift  of  foot,  and  well  skilled  in  all  the  modes 
of  savage  warfare.  He  was  most  dexterous  with  the 
use  of  the  tomahawk  and  butcher-knife,  and  with 
these  instruments  he  killed  many  of  his  race.  When 
sober,  he  was  cheerful,  humorous,  and  friendly,  but 
woe  be  to  the  man  that  ofitended  him ;  nothing  seemed 
to  satisfy  his  revengeful  spirit  but  blood.  I  will  here 
record  some  anecdotes  of  this  formidable  savage,  well 


JOHN    AND    THE    IRISHMAN. 


509 


known  to  many  of  the  first  settlers  of  the  Scioto  Val- 
ley. When  this  Valley  first  began  to  be  settled,  anJ 
for  years  after,  the  Indians  who  resided  on  the  head 
waters  of  the  Scioto  and  the  Sandusky  rivers,  asso- 
ciated in  the  most  friendly  manner  with  the  whites, 
and  often  parcicipated  in  their  backwoods  frolicks. 
On  one  of  those  occasions  in  Chillicothe,  when  the 
youngsters  had  assembled  for  a  dance,  Captain  John 
was  present,  and  there  was  an  Irishman  of  the  name 
of  Russel,  as  large  and  athletic  as  John  himself. 
After  John  had  drank  freely,  he  commenced  dancing 
all  over  the  room,  and  crossed  the  path  of  the  other 
dancers.  He  stopped  short,  walked  up  to  the  Irish- 
man, and  striking  him  on  the  breast  with  his  open 
hand,  said,  "  Come,  let's  fight ;  you  big  man,  me  big 
man — Captain  John — conie,  let's  fight!"  "No,"  said 
the  Irishman,  "white  man  and  Indian  brothers;  no 
fight.'*  But  John  replied,  "You  big  man,  me  big 
man;  we  must  fight;"  and,  without  farther  ceremony, 
drew  back  his  fist,  and  dashed  at  the  Irishman.  Rus- 
sel, being  a  great  boxer,  struck  John  on  the  side  of 
the  head,  and  laid  him  ou*  "S  limber  as  a  rag.  John 
was  dragged  into  a  corner  of  the  room,  where  he  lay 
still  for  fifteen  minutes,  and  all  at  once  he  sprang  to 
his  feet,  and  said,  "Irishman  strike  like  horse  kick." 
This  cooled  his  courage,  and  he  said  no  more. 

In  the  fall  of  1797,  near  West  Fall,  at  the  trading 
establishment  of  David  Dunmen,  the  Indians  met  to 
barter  their  furs  and  skins  for  such  things  as  they 
needed,  but  the  roost  of  it  went  for  whisky.     John, 


III 


510 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS, 


with  others,  had  a  drunken  frolic.  Among  them  was 
an  Indian  called  Cherokee  Tom.  Tom  was  v^ry 
active,  and,  at  fisticuffs,  nearly,  if  not  quite,  John's 
match.  One  night  John  and  Tom  had  a  fight,  and 
both  were  scratched  and  bruised.  The  next  day 
Tom  lay  down  to  sleep  in  a  shade,  and  John  seeing 
him  asleep,  took  his  rifle,  and  shot  him  through  the 
heart.  Some  of  the  Indians  remonstrated ;  and  John 
replied,  that  there  was  no  harm  in  killing  such  a 
worthless  dog;  and  thus  the  matter  ended.  So  little 
regard  have  savage  men  for  human  life. 

John  Kushon  was  a  half  white  ms^n,  of  the  Tusca- 
rora  tribe,  and  was  a  very  large  man — six  feet  high, 
and  weighing  over  two  hundred.  He  lived  among  the 
whites,  and  hunted  for  them,  and  sometimes  worked. 
He  used  to  hunt  for  my  father.  In  the  fall  he  would 
go  off  and  stay  a  month  or  two,  and  then  return  with 
his  skins  and  meat.  On  one  of  those  hunting  tours, 
on  Darby  creek,  he  fell  in  with  Captain  John  and 
his  party.  Fallenach,  who  had  once  been  a  prisoner 
with  the  Indians,  had  a  trading  establishment  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  sold  them  whisky.  At  this  place, 
where  the  Indians  met  for  a  drunken  frolic,  the  two 
Johns  fell  out  in  the  night  and  fought,  but  were 
parted  by  Fallenach,  and  some  of  the  Indians.  Next 
moriiing,  still  being  drunk,  they  agreed  to  fight  with 
tomahawks  and  knives.  They  cut  a  notch  in  a  log, 
and  d'  ove  down  a  stake  by  the  side,  and  agreed  that 
when  the  shadow  of  the  stake  came  into  the  notch, 
thoy  were  to  fight.    They  then  sat  down  on  the  log — 


John's  desperate  character,  oli 


one  on  each  side  of  the  notch  —  and  awaited  tlio 
eventful  moment.  At  length  it  came;  then,  like  two 
furies,  they  arose,  waving  their  tomahawks  in  one 
hand,  over  their  heads,  yelling  and  screaming  for  the 
battle,  with  theix  knives  in  the  other;  and  after  each 
receiving  several  wounds,  Captain  John's  tomahawk 
found  its  way  to  Kushon's  skull,  and  killed  him. 

In  1800,  on  the  R-ittlesnake  Fork  of  Paint  river, 
in  another  drinking  scrape.  Captain  John  and  his 
squaw  fell  out,  and  agreed  to  part;  they  divided  all 
till  it  came  to  their  little  son,  and  both  claimed  it. 
The  child  v.ns  about  three  years  old.  The  mother 
held  fast  to  the  child;  John  jerked  it  out  of  her  arms, 
and  took  an  ax,  and  cut  it  in  two,  and  threw  her  the 
half,  and  then  said,  "If  you  don't  clear  out  I  will 
serve  you  the  same  way."  - 

Captain  John  joined  the  army  under  General  Har- 
rison, in  1813,  at  Fort  Defiance.  Here  he  and  Ben- 
jamin Logan,  and  some  other  friendly  Indians,  were 
Rent,  to  reconnoiter  «.ho  British  and  Indian  army  at 
'ao  Maumee  Bay.  They  were  met  by  a  party  of 
1'  Iti  h  and  Indians,  when  a  dreadful  battle  ensued. 
Ti  (  jHvitish  party  were  defeated,  and  neurly  all  killed. 
The  brave  Logan,  and  others  of  the  American  party, 
fell.  In  this  battle  John  fought  like  a  fury  in  des- 
peration, but  escaped  unhurt.  He  afterward  joined 
the  army  under  General  M' Arthur,  in  Canada,  and 
still  acted  out  his  savage  manner  of  warfare.  Not- 
withstanding the  General's  efforts  to  restore  him  after 
the  war  was  over,  he  geemcd  to  have  disappeared, 


M2 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


and  probably  died,  or  was  killed  by  some  of  his  own 
tribe.  ' 

CAPTAIN    LEWIS. 

Captain  Lewis  was  a  Shawnee  chief,  and  he  resided 
on  the  waters  of  Mad  river.  He  was  a  handsome 
man,  well  built,  of  an  open  and  free  countenance, 
and  in  his  manner  friendly,  yet  he  had  a  great  deal 
of  the  Indian  cr  ;f^  about  him.  When  drunk  he  was 
savage.  -        .  , 

On  one  occasion,  at,  Deshicuts  Town,  on  Mad  river, 
he  and  a  number  of  other  Indians  became  drunk.  A 
Delaware  Indian  was  sitting  next  to  him  on  the  bar- 
rel, who  was  reputed  to  be  a  witch  killer,  and  was 
willing  to  bear  that  title;  and  after  they  were  well 
corned,  he  began  to  make  his  brags  what  great  things 
he  had  done  and  could  do.  Lewis  asked  him  what 
he  could  do,  and  he  replied  he  could  kill  a  man  and 
not  shoot  him.  Lewis  replied,  he  could  do  that  him- 
self. "How  will  you  do  it?"  replied  the  Delaware. 
Lewis  drew  his  knife,  and  stabbed  the  Delaware  to 
the  heart,  and  replied,  "That's  the  way  I  kill  a  man 
without  shooting  him."  The  next  day  a  council  was 
held,  and  it  was  determined  that  Lewis  should  give 
the  widow  a  horse  to  satisfy  the  price  of  blood,  which 
he  did. 

His  nation  fell  out  with  him,  and  broke  him  of  his 
chiefdom  for  cheating  them  in  the  distribution  of  then 
annuities.     He  became  dissatisfied  with  old  Black- 


INDIAN    ARISTOCRACY. 


513 


Hoof  and  the  other  chiefs,  and  with  a  small  party 
moved  west  of  the  Missouri. 


III. 


CAPTAIN    SniGSER. 


At  an  early  day  there  was  another  Shawnee  chief 
that  used  to  come  in  to  trade.  He  called  himself 
Captain  Shigser.  He  was  among  the  handsomest, 
best-made,  and,  I  think,  the  proudest  man  I  ever  saw. 
He  was  remarkable  for  his  entire  abstinence  from  all 
intoxicating  drinks,  or  mingling  with  any  company  of 
Indians  when  drinking.  He  was  married  to  a  squaw, 
half  white,  said  to  be  the  daughter  of  General  Butler. 
She  was  a  beautiful  woman.  Her  skin  was  not  dark ; 
and  her  large,  blue  eyes,  her  long,  black  hair,  and 
tall,  well-proportioned  person,  with  her  rich  and  em- 
broidered dress,  gave  her  a  magnificent  appearance 
He  was  dressed  in  the  finest  broadcloth,  made  in  the 
fashion  of  the  Indian  costume,  with  thirty  silver  half- 
moons  hanging  on  his  breast  and  down  his  back.  His 
head-band  was  filled  with  silver  bobs,  and  his  linen 
bosom  was  stuck  full  of  silver  brooches ;  his  belt  was 
of  the  finest  and  best  of  wampum,  and  interwoven 
with  beads  and  porcupine  quills ;  his  leggins  were 
fringed,  and  filled  with  silver  bobs,  and  beautifully 
decorated  with  horse-hair,  dyed  red;  his  moccasins 
were  lined  with  green  silk,  and  ornamented  with  por- 
cupine quills.     All  they  had  was  in  perfect  keeping 

His  tomahawk  blade,  pipe,  and  handle,  and  bis  rifle* 

33 


514 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


barrel  and  stock  were  inlaid  with  silver;  and  their 
horses  were  of  the  best  kind;  and  all  their  equipage, 
blankets,  and  every  thing  about  their  camp  were  in  the 
same  style.  They  did  not  pitch  their  tent  close  to  the 
other  Indians,  and  very  seldom  associated  with  them. 
I  have  given  this  description  to  show,  that  even  in 
savage  life,  there  are  great  distinctions  in  their  habits 
and  ruling  passions.  I  do  not  know  what  became  of 
this  couple,  but  I  should  not  wonder  if  they  both  full 
a  prey  to  savage  envy,  for  those  drunken  Indians  did 
not  like  them.  They  said,  "Too  much  proud."  I 
never  knew  but  two  other  Indians  but  would  drink 
and  become  intoxicjited  at  times-r— the  one  was  a  Mo- 
hawk, and  the  other  a  Seneca. 


IT. 


LITTLE    TT/RTLE. 


Among  the  great  chiefs  of  the  Indians,  at  the  time 
of  the  early  settlement  of  the  North-Western  ter- 
ritory, was  Michikiniqua,  or  Little  Turtle.  He  was 
the  chief  of  the  Miami  nation.  He  inherited  no  title 
or  rank  from  his  parents,  but  rose  by  the  force  of  his 
own  genius.  Even  in  his  boyhood  he  was  noted  for 
the  force  of  his  character,  the  soundness  of  his  wis- 
dom, and  high  order  of  his  talents.  These,  at  a  very 
early  age,  made  him  chief,  and  finally  bore  him  on  to 
a  commanding  influence,  not  only  in  his  own  nation, 
but  among  all  the  neighboring  tribes. 

He  was  about  five  feet  nine  or  ten  inches  high, 


LITTLE    TURTLE. 


515 


well  made;  had  a  prominent  forehead,  heavy  broW| 
keen,  black  eye,  and  large  chin.  As  a  warrior,  he 
was  fearless,  but  not  rash ;  shrewd  to  plan,  bold  and 
energetic  to  execute — no  peril  could  daunt,  and  no 
emergency  could  surprise  him.  In  fact,  he  was  on 
of  the  greatest  warriors  and  most  sagacious  rulerc 
ver  known  among  the  Indians.  Politically,  Little 
Turtle  was  the  follower  of  Pontiac.  He  indulged  in 
much  the  same  gloomy  apprehension  that  the  whites 
would  overtop,  and  finally  uproot  his  race ;  and  he 
sought  much  the  same  combination  of  the  Indian 
nations  to  prevent  it.  It  was  under  his  command 
that  the  Indians  defeated  Generals  Harmar  and  St. 
Clair,  in  1791.  But  he,  in  turn,  was  defeated  by 
General  Wayne.  Of  these  battles  we  have  already 
given  an  account  in  the  preceding  pages. 

The  following   incident,  however,  connected  with 
Wayne's  victory,  is  worthy  of  record: 

After  the  treaty  of  1795  Little  Turtle  settled  upon 
Eel  river,  about  twenty  miles  from  Fort  Wayne.  The 
Americans  here  erected  for  him  a  comfortable  house; 
and,  henceforward,  he  not  only  conformed  to  many 
of  the  usages  of  civilized  life,  but  exerted  his  influ- 
ence to  civilize  the  other  Indians.  These  things  laid 
him  open  to  the  suspicion  of  having  been  bribed  by 
the  United  States  Government.  This,  for  a  time, 
weakened  his  influence  among  the  Indians.  But  by 
his  manifest  integrity  and  justice,  as  well  as  noble 
ness  and  generosity  of  character,  it  was  soon  recov- 
ered, and  maintained  to  the  last. 


516 


LIFE    AMONa    THE    INDIANS. 


He  reformed  many  of  the  savage  habits  of  hia 
people;  and,  especially,  did  much  to  ameliorate  the 
condition  of  prisoners  among  them,  and  to  prevent 
the  wanton  destruction  of  human  life.  Mr.  School- 
craft gives  him  the  credit  of  doing  as  much  as  any 
other  individual  on  the  continent  to  abolish  the  rites 
of  human  sacrifice  among  the  Indians. 

As  he  saw  his  people  wasted  away  by  intemper- 
ance, his  mighty  soul  was  stirred  within  him.  Meas- 
ures for  its  suppression,  that  would  have  been  eflScient, 
but  for  the  dark  villainy  of  the  traders,  were  intro- 
duced. In  1803  or  1804  he  visited  the  Legislatures 
of  Kentucky  and  Ohio;  and,  in  the  most  glowing 
colors,  depicted  the  destruction  intemperance  was 
bringing  upon  the  poor  Indians.  From  them  he  be- 
sought protection  for  the  Indians  from  the  traders, 
"who,"  he  said,  "would  strip  the  poor  Indian  of 
skins,  gun,  blanket,  every  thing — while  his  squaw 
and  children,  dependent  on  him,  lay  starving  and 
shivering  in  his  wigwam." 

The  small-pox  was,  at  this  time,  very  destructive 
among  the  Indians.  In  one  of  his  visits  to  Wash- 
ington, he  became  acquainted  with  the  mode  of  vac- 
cination to  prevent  the  small-pox.  He  not  only 
submitted  himself  and  his  warriors  to  the  operation, 
but  obtained  a  quantity  of  vaccine  matter,  which  he 
used  himself  in  vaccinating  his  people. 

Mr.  Thatcher  has  preserved  a  few  anecdotes,  de- 
rived from  Mr.  Dawson,  concerning  Little  Turtle. 
"What  distinguished  him  most,"  says  Mr.  Dawson, 


OPPOSED    TO    TECUM  St:  II — DEATH.     517 


"was  his  ardent  desire  to  be  informed  of  all  that 
.  relates  to  our  institutions ;  and  he  seemed  to  possess 
a  mind  capable  of  understanding  and  valuing  the  ad- 
vantages of  civilized  life,  in  a  degree  far  superior 
to  any  other  Indian  of  his  time.  'During  the  fre- 
quent visits  which  he  made  to  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment, he  examined  every  thing  he  saw  with  an  in- 
quisitive eye,  and  never  failed  to  embrace  every 
opportunity  to  acquire  information  by  inquiring  of 
those  with  whom  he  could  take  that  liberty.'" 

Little  Turtle  opposed  the  designs  of  Tecumseh, 
and  his  brother,  the  Prophet.  He  believed  that  the 
true  interests  of  his  people  required  that  they  should 
be  at  peace  with  the  Americans,  and  learn  the  arts 
of  civilization.  Consequently,  when  the  storm  of 
war  was  gathering,  in  1812,  he  gave  the  most  un- 
equivocal evidence  that  his  sympathies  were  all  on 
the  side  of  the  Americans.  Unmoved  by  the  wiles 
of  the  Prophet,  or  the  appeals  of  Tecumseh,  he  took 
a  firm  and"  unyielding  stand.  But  he  was  not  des- 
tined to  be  an  active  participant  in  the  stirring  scenes 
that  succeeded. 

While  at  Fort  Wayne  on  a  visit,  he  died,  July  1 4, 
1812,  deplored  deeply  by  his  people.  He  was  a 
great  sufferer,  during  his  last  illness ;  but  he  endured 
all  with  great  firmness.  He  died  on  the  turf  of  his 
camp,  "with  the  characteristic  composure  of  his 
race;"  and  was  buried  with  the  honors  of  war. 
Savage  and  heathen  as  he  was,  Little  Turtle  was 
one  of  nature's  noblemen. 


518 


LIFE    AMONQ    TUB    INDIAN!, 


•  BILLY  WYANDOTT  AND  HIS  WIFB 

Among  the  prominent  Indians  of  my  acquaintance, 
^ere  Billy  Wyandott  and  his  wife  Betty.  He  was 
the  worst  kind  of  a  drunkard,  and  Betty  was  quite  a 
match  for  him.  Some  of  their  domestic  scenes  were 
of  the  most  thrilling  character;  nor  was  the  element 
of  tragedy  unfrequent. 

I  was  present  on  one  occasion  when  they  were 
both  drunk.  Billy  knocked  Betty  down  with  a  black 
jug  full  of  whisky,  pulled  out  some  coals  of  fire,  and 
would  have  put  her  hand  upon  them  if  he  had  not 
been  prevented.  He  continued  to  get  drunker,  and 
Betty  more  sober.  At  length,  to  pay  Billy  in  his 
own  coin,  she  took  out  of  her  pocket-pouch  a  jack- 
knife,  went  to  Billy,  where  he  was  sitting,  reeling  and 
singing,  lifted  up  his  arm,  and  with  her  knife  aimed  a 
deadly  blow  at  his  heart.  But  the  knife  striking  a 
rib,  doubled  down  over  her  hand,  and,  before  she  could 
make  the  second  blow,  Jim  Manary  took  the  knifo 
from  her,  and  threw  it  into  the  Scioto. 

This  was  an  awful  scene  for  a  sober  man  to  look 
upon.  Here  were  encamped  between  two  and  three 
hundred  Indians,  and  one-third,  if  not  one-half,  drunk; 
men  and  women,  raving  maniacs,  singing,  dancing, 
fighting,  stabbing,  and  tomahawking  one  another — 
and  there  was  the  rum-seller  watering  their  whisky 
till  it  was  not  strong  grog,  and  gelling  it  for  four 
dollars  a  gallon — his  hired  men  gathering  up  all  the 


BTAN  DING-STONE  —  VAN     METER.       519 


flkiiis  and  furs,  then   their  silver  trinkets,  ear-bobs, 


look 
iree 
Ink; 

ir — 

iky 

lour 

the 


arm 


■bands,  half  moons,  silver  crosses,  and  brooch 


es — 


giving  a  gill  of  grog  for  a  dozen  of  silver  brooches — 
then  their  guns,  tomahawks,  and  blankets,  till  they 
were  literally  stripped  naked,  and  three  or  four  were 
killed  and  wounded.  The  reader  may  set  what  esti- 
mate he  pleases,  or  call  him  by  what  name;  yet,  if 
there  was  ever  a  greater  robber,  or  a  meaner  thief, 
or  a  dirtier  murderer,  than  these  rum-sellers,  he  is 
yet  to  be  seen.  This  man  and  woman  quit  the  bottle, 
and  he  lived  to  be  old,  and  was  blind  ten  years  be- 
fore he  died. 

Connected  with  this  company  was  the  Standing- 
Stone.  He  was  a  Mingo,  and  a  great  drunkard,  and 
when  drunk  not  vicious  at  all.  He  would  sing  and 
laugh  like  a  maniac;  yet,  when  sober,  he  was  a  man 
of  some  standing,  and  a  great  hunter;  he  always 
kept  from  twelve  to  twenty  poor  dogs  with  him,  and 
they  were  starved  to  death.  They  became  trouble- 
some by  killing  sheep  and  hogs,  and  the  people  took 
to  shooting  them,  which  used  to  annoy  Standing- 
Stone  much. 

VI. 

JOHN    TAN    METER. 

John  Van  Meter  was  a  white  man,  and  was  taken 
prisoner  when  small.  He  was  related  to  the  Van 
Meter  family,  on  the  south  branch  of  the  Potomac, 
and  lived  and  died  with  the  Indians.  He  was  a  heavy- 
built  man,  strong,  and  capable  of  great  enduranco. 


520 


LIFE    AMONQ    THE    INDIANS. 


lie  was  a  good-natured,  kind-hearted,  and  peaceable 
man,  a  good  hunter,  and  only  would  occasionally 
enter  into  the  Indian  drunken  frolics ;  and  when  drunk 
ho  was  sometimes  furious,  and  at  other  times  simple 
and  childlike,  and  would  cry  and  laugh  alternately. 
John  quit  the  bottle  entirely,  and,  when  the  last 
treaty  was  made  with  the  Indians,  he  secured  a  re- 
serve of  a  half  section  of  land  on  Honey  creek,  now 
in  Seneca  county.  He  married,  for  his  second  wife, 
a  Mohawk  woman,  called  Susan  Brant,  a  sister  to 
the  Brants  from  New  York.  She  was  a  good,  pious 
woman,  and  a  neat  housekeeper.  John  settled  on 
his  land,  cleared  him  out  a  little  farm,  and  built  him 
a  comfortable  cabin;  and  when  I  was  missionary  I 
used  to  preach  at  his  house,  formed  a  class,  took  both 
him  and  his  wife,  and  a  number  of  their  friends  and 
neighbors,  into  Church,  and  made  John  their  leader. 
They  were  a  happy,  sincere,  and  religious  people. 
After  some  years  they  both  died  happy  in  the  joyful 
hope  of  that  rest  which  remaineth  for  the  people 
of  God.  He  left  one  son,  by  his  first  wife,  who  em- 
braced religion,  and,  following  his  father's  footsteps, 
is  now  a  class-leader  in  the  Wyandott  Church,  in  the 
far  west.     May  he  continue  faithful  till  death ! 


VII. 


BLACK  IIOOF,   OK    CATAHECASSA. 

Among  the  prominent  chiefs  who  signed  the  treaty 
with  Wayne,  in  1795,  was  Black-Hoof.     He  was  a 


POLICY    OF    BLACK- 11  OOP. 


52t 


celebrated  warrior  of  the  Shawneos.  It  is  supposed 
tliat  ho  was  born  in  Florida,  and  removed,  with  his 
tribe,  to  the  north-west.  lie  was  only  a  child  at  tho 
period  of  removal,  but  retained  the  distinct  recollec- 
tion of  some  of  tho  incidents  of  the  removal,  and 
also  of  having  bathed  in  the  salt  water  in  his  child- 
hood. 

He  first  acquired  distinction,  like  many  other  In- 
dian warriors,  during  the  unfortunate  campaign  of 
Braddock,  in  1755.  From  that  time  forward  he  was 
an  active  participator  in  all  the  Indian  wars,  and  tho 
determined  enemy  of  the  whites,  till  the  treaty  of 
Wayne.  Says  the  author  of  the  "History  of  the 
North  American  Indians,  "lie  was  known  far  and 
wide  as  the  great  Shawnee  warrior,  whose  cunning, 
sagacity,  and  experience  were  only  equaled  by  the 
fierce  and  desperate  bravery  with  which  he  carried 
into  operation  his  military  plans.  Like  the  other 
Shawnee  chiefs,  he  was  the  inveterate  foe  of  the 
white  man,  and  held  that  no  peace  should  be  made, 
nor  any  negotiation  attempted,  except  on  the  condi- 
tion that  the  "Whites  should  repass  the  mountains,  and 
leave  the  great  plains  of  the  west  to  the  sole  occu- 
pancy of  the  native  tribes. 

"But,  although  a  stern  and  uncompromising  oppo- 
sition to  the  whites  had  marked  his  policy  through 
a  series  of  forty  yearff,  and  nerved  his  arm  in  a  hun- 
dred battles,  he  became,  at  length,  convinced  of  the 
madness  of  an  inefi'ectual  struggle  against  a  vastly- 
superior  and  hourly-increasing  foe.     No  sooner  had 

44 


522 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS, 


!io  satisfied  himself  of  this  truth,  than  he  acted  upon 
it  with  the  decision  which  formed  a  prominent  trait 
in  his  character.  The  temporary  success  of  the  In- 
dians in  several  engagements  previous  to  the  cam- 
paign of  General  Wayne,  had  kept  alive  their  expiring 
hopes ;  but  their  signal  defeat  by  that  gallant  oflBcer, 
convinced  the  more  reflecting  of  their  leaders  of  the 
desperate  character  of  the  conflict.  Black-Hoof  was 
among  those  who  decided  upon  making  terms  with 
the  victorious  American  commander;  and,  having 
signed  the  treaty  of  1795,  at  Greenville,  he  continued 
faithful  to  his  stipulations  during  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  From  that  day  he  ceased  to  be  the  enemy 
of  the  white  man;  and  as  he  was  not  one  who  could 
act  a  negative  part,  he  became  the  firm  ally  and  friend 
of  those  against  whom  his  tomahawk  had  been  so 
long  raised  in  vindictive  animosity." 

Black-Hoof  was  much  in  advance  of  his  race  in 
Us  notions  of  civilization,  and  in  his  humane  views. 
He  was  sprightly  and  agreeable  in  conversation,  and 
cheerful  in  disposition.  He  exerted  his  great  influ- 
ence to  mitigate  the  barbarities  practiced  upon  pris- 
oners by  the  Indians,  and  especially  opposed  the 
burning  of  them.  His  sober  judgment  also  clearly 
perceived  the  evil  of  polygamy;  and  he  not  only 
endeavored  to  do  it  away,  but  gave  to  his  followers 
a  practical  example;  for  he  lived  forty  years  with 
.>ne  wife,  by  whom  he  had  a  large  fiamily  of  children. 

During  the  last  war  with  England  he  remained  the 
firm  friend  of  the  United  States,  resisting   all   the 


TARHE,     OR    THE    CRANE 


52S 


tempitations  of  the  emissaries  of  England,  as  well  as 
all  the  efforts  of  Tecumseh.  His  active  days  of  war- 
fare, however,  were  over,  and  ne  remained,  for  the 
most  part,  inactive,  satisfying  himself  with  restrain- 
ing as  many  of  his  people  from  engaging  in  a  contest 
which  could  not  terminate  otherwise  than  disastrously 
to  them.  While  on  a  visit  at  Fort  M' Arthur,  in 
1813,  he  was  shot  through  a  hole  in  the  wall,  by  some 
miscreant.  The  ball  struck  the  cheek-bone,  and 
glanced  downward  into  the  neck.  He  fel)  to  the 
earth,  ar.d  was  supposed,  for  the  moment,  to  be  dead. 
But  he  revived  after  a  little,  and  finally  recovered. 
The  assassin  was  never  discovered. 

Black-Hoof  retained  much  of  his  mental  and  bod- 
ily vigor,  and  his  eyesight  was  unimpaired  at  the 
period  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1831,  at  Wau- 
paukonetta,  at  the  age  of  one  hundred  and  ten  years. 
To  the  last  he  was  held  in  the  L'ghest  respect  by 
his  people,  and  greatly  lamented  at  his  death. 

VIII. 


THE  CRANE,  OR  TARHB. 

Among  the  great  chiefs  of  the  north-west,  there 
was  none  greater  than  Tarhe,  or  the  Crane.  He  was 
head  chief  of  the  Wyandott  nation,  and  belonged  to 
the  Porcupine  tribe.  He  was  always  cool,  deliber- 
ate, and  firm.  His  wisdom  in  council,  as  well  as  his 
bravery  in  war,  gave  him  great  influence  among  all 
the  neighboring  tribes.     He  was  tall  in  person,  well 


$24 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


made,  and  his  very  countenance  was  strongly  marked 
by  the  great  virtues  for  which  he  was  distinguished 
through  a  long  and  honorable  life.  All  who  knew 
him,  whether  white  or  red,  deeply  venerated  his  char- 
acter. He  was  affable  and  courteous,  kind  and  affec- 
tionate in  his  feelings,  stern  and  unyielding  in  his 
integrity.  As  a  warrior,  he  was  among  the  bravest 
of  the  brave ;  but,  Indian  as  he  was,  no  stain  of 
cruelty,  barbarity,  or  injustice,  rests  upon  his  char- 
acter. 

Prior  to  the  battle  of  General  Wayne,  on  the  Mau- 
mee,  in  1794,  the  Deer  tribe  had  furnished  the  head 
chief  of  the  nation;  but  in  that  battle  this  tribe  was 
nearly  annihilated.  Then  the  old  usage  was  set  aside, 
and  the  great  Tarhe  was  called  to  preside  over  the 
destinies  of  the  Wyandott  nation.  A  better  selection 
could  not  have  been  made. 

The  only  thing  I  ever  heard  in  the  least  discred- 
itable to  this  chief,  war,  che  story  of  his  agency  in  the 
execution  of  the  doomed  chief,  Leather-Lips,  for  the 
supposed  crime  of  witchcraft.  This  man  was  a  chief 
of  some  distinction,  had  attained  sixty-three  years 
of  age,  and  was  warmly  attached  to  the  American 
cause.  This  made  it  desirable  on  the  part  of  the 
Prophet  that  he  should  be  put  out  of  the  way.  He 
was  accordingly  accused  of  .witchcraft.  Mr.  Thatcher 
says:  . 


"  Orders  were  given   to  an  influential   chief — the 
Crane — of  the  same  nation  with  the  convict,  in  the 


KILLING    0?    LEATUER-LlPS. 


525 


Prophet's  service,  who,  with  four  other  Indians,  im- 
mediately started  off  in  quest  of  him.  He  was  found 
at  home,  and  notified  of  the  sentence  which  had  been 
passed  upon  him.  He  entreated,  reasoned,  and  prom- 
ised, but  all  in  vain.  The  inexorable  messengers  of 
death  set  about  digging  his  grave  by  the  side  of  his 
wigwam.  He  now  dressed  himself  with  his  finest 
war-clothes,  and,  having  refreshed  himself  with  a 
hasty  meal  of  venison,  kneeled  down  on  the  brink 
of  the  grave.  His  executioner  kneeled  with  him, 
and  ofiered  up  a  prayer  to  the  Great  Spirit  in  his 
behalf.     This  was  the  last  ceremony. 

"The  Indians  withdrew  a  few  paces,  and  seated 
themselves  around  him  on  the  ground.  *The  old 
chief,'  says  the  original  describer  of  this  most  horrid 
scene,*  'inclined  forward,  resting  hia  face  upon  his 
hand,  his  hand  upon  his  knees.  \  hile  thus  seated, 
one  of  the  young  Indians  came  up,  and  struck  him 
twice  with  the  tomahawk.  For  some  time,  he  lay 
senseless  on  the  ground,  the  only  remaining  evidence 
of  life  being  a  faint  respiration.  The  Indians  all 
stood  around  him  in  solemn  silence.  Finding  him  la 
breathe  longer  than  they  expected,  they  called  upon 
the  whitee — one  or  two  of  whom  were  spectators — to 
take  notice  how  hard  he  died;  pronounced  him  a 
wizard — no  good — then  struck  him  again,  and  term- 
inated his  existence.  The  office  of  burial  was  soon 
performed.' 


f  >» 


*A  oorrespondent  cited  in  the  History  of  the  Indian  Kations. 


526 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


Mr.  Thatcher  and  his  informant  were  wholly  mis- 
taken as  to  the  agency  of  Tarhe  in  this  matter.  His 
whole  character,  and  especially  his  known  opposition 
to  the  schemes  of  the  Prophet,  furnish  a  strong  pre- 
sumption against  the  story.  As  an  act  of  justice  to 
one  of  the  best  men,  and  especially  to  a  chief  of  my 
Qwn  tribe,  I  give  the  views  of  the  late  lamented 
President  Harrison  upon  the  matter.  He  says,  in  a 
htter  to  the  editor  of  the  Hesperian : 


*'  I  observe  in  your  magazine  that  the  chief,  Tarhe, 
\8  declared,  upon  the  authority  of  Mr.  Thatcher,  to 
have  been  the  leader  of  the  five  warriors,  who  were 
sent  to  execute  the  *  Doomed  Chief/  in  the  year  1810. 
This  is,  beyond  doubt,  a  mistake.  I  knew  Tarhe 
well-  ?ty  acquaintance  with  him  commenced  at  the 
treaty  at  Greenville,  in  1795.  His  tribe  was  under 
my  superintendence  in  1810.  All  the  business  I 
transacted  with  it  was  through  him.  I  have  often 
said  I  never  knew  a  better  man,  and  am  confident  he 
would  not  have  been  concerned  in  such  a  transaction 
as  is  ascribed  to  him  in  the  article  above  referred 
to.  In  support  of  this  opinion,  I  offtr  the  following 
reasons : 

"1.  The  execution  of  the  'Doomed  Wyandott 
Chief  is  attributed,  and  no  doubt  correctly,  to  the 
Shawnee  Prophet,  and  his  brother,  Tecumseh.  To 
my  knowledge,  Tarhe  was  always  the  oppon  nt  of 
these  men,  and  could  not  have  be^in  their  ai^enl  ip 
this  matter. 


Harrison's  defense  of  tar  he.  527 


"2.  The  accusation  of  witchcraft  was  brought  by 
these  Shawnee  brothers,  and  the  accused  were  exclu- 
sively those  who  were  friendly  to  the  United  States, 
and  who  had  been  parties  to  treaties  by  which  the 
Indian  titles  to  lands  had  been  extinguished.  In  both 
these  respects  Tarhe  had  rendered  himself  obnoxious 
0  the  former. 

"  3.  Tarhe  was  not  only  the  Grand  Sachem  of  his 
tribe,  but  the  acknowledged  head  of  all  the  tribes 
who  w^ere  engaged  in  the  war  with  the  United  States, 
which  was  terminated  by  the  treaty  of  Greenville ;  and 
in  that  character  the  duplicate  of  the  original  treaty, 
engrossed  on  parchment,  was  committed  to  his  cus- 
tody, as  had  been  the  grand  calumet  which  was  the 
bymbol  of  peace. 

"4.  He  united  with  his  friend,  Black-Hoof,  the 
head  chief  of  the  Shawnees,  in  denying  the  rank  of 
chief  either  to  the  Prophet  or  Tecuraseh;  and,  of 
course,  he  would  not  have  received  it  of  them.  If 
the  *  doomed  warrior'  had  been  sentenced  by  the 
council  of  his  own  nation,  the  Crane — Tarhe — would 
uot  have  directed  the  execution;  but,  as  was  invari- 
ably the  custom,  it  would  have  been  committed  to  one 
of  the  war-chiefs.  The  party  sent  to  put  the  old 
chief  to  death,  no  doubt,  came  immediately  from  Tip- 
pecanoe; and  if  it  was  commanded  by  a  Wyandott, 
the  probability  is  that  it  was  Round-Head,  who  was  a 
captain  of  the  band  of  Wyandotts  who  r-Rsided  with 
the  Pi'ophe*,  •nA  »va^,  to  %  gi^a*  px*ent.  vu'Vy  Hia 
influcncCv" 


528 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


This  good  chief  has  long  since  gone  the  way  of  all 
men,  and  yet  it  is  due  that  justice  should  be  done 
him,  and  his  true  character  pass  down  to  the  genera- 
tions to  come. 

It  is  related  that  at  the  commencement  of  the  last 
war  with  England,  Tarhe  was  called  to  a  council  by 
the  British  oflScer  commanding  at  Maiden,  in  Upper 
Canada,  as  many  of  his  nation  lived  in  Canada.  The 
object  was  to  see  what  part  the  nation  would  take  in 
the  war  then  pending.  The  council  met  at  Browns- 
town,  in  the  state  of  Michigan.  Several  speeches 
were  first  delivered,  and  great  promises  made  by  the 
British  agent  about  what  their  great  father.  King 
George,  would  do  for  them,  if  the  nation  would  fight 
the  Americans;  and  he  closed  by  presenting  Tarhe 
with  a  likeness  of  King  George.  Holding  it  in  his 
hand,  the  chief  arose  and  said : 

"  We  have  no  confidence  in  King  George.  He  is  al- 
ways quarreling  with  his  white  children  in  this  country. 
He  sends  his  armies  over  the  great  water,  in  their  big 
canoes,  and  then  he  gets  his  Indian  friends  here  to 
join  with  him  to  conquer  his  children,  and  promises 
if  they  will  fight  for  him,  he  will  do  great  things  for 
them.  So  he  promised,  if  we  would  fight  Wayne, 
and  if  he  whipped  us,  he  would  open  the  gates  of  his 
fort,  on  the  Maumee,  and  let  us  in,  and  open  his  big 
guns  on  our  enemies;  but  when  we  were  whipped, 
and  the  flower  of  our  nation  were  killed,  we  fled  to 
this  place,  but  instead  of  opening  the  gates,  and  let- 
ting us  in,  you  shut  yourselves  up  in  your  ground-hog 


AKSWER    TO    THE    BRITISH    AGENT.     629 


hole,  and  kept  out  of  sight,  while  my  warriors  were 
killed  at  your  gates.  We  have  no  confidence  in  any 
promise  you  make.  When  the  Americans  scratch 
your  backs  with  their  war-clubs,  you  jump  into  your 
big  canoes,  and  run  home,  and  leave  the  poor  Indiana 
to  fight  it  out,  or  make  peace  with  them,  the  best  they 
may." 

He  then  took  the  likeness  of  General  Washington 
from  his  bosom,  and  said:  "This  is  our  great  father, 
and  for  him  we  will  fight."  Then  taking  the  like- 
ness of  King  George  in  his  left  hand,  he  drew  hia 
tomahawk,  and  with  the  edge  struck  the  likeness. 
"  And  so  we  will  serve  your  great  father." 

This  so  excited  the  British  officer  that  it  is  said 
he  turned  black  in  the  face.  He  replied  that  he 
would  make  the  chief  repent  that  act.  "  This  is  my 
land  and  country,"  said  Tarhe;  "go  home  to  your 
own  land,  and  tell  your  countrymen  that  Tarhe  and 
his  warriors  are  ready,  and  that  they  are  the  friends 
of  the  Americans." 

•  Thus  broke  up  the  council  that  night.  Arrange- 
ments were  made  to  cross  the  river,  and  take  all  the 
Wyandotts  prisoners,  and  all  they  could  catch  were 
taken  and  carried  to  Canada,  and  compelled  to  figlt 
against  their  own  nation.  Tarhe  returned  to  his 
home,  at  Upper  Sandusky,  and  with  his  warriors 
aided  the  Americans,  with  all  their  force,  till  the 
battle  of  the  Thames;  numbers  of  them  were  in  the 
urmy  of  General  Harrison  at  the  time  when  he  fought 

the  last  battle  with  the  British  and  Indians. 

34 


530 


LIFK    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


IX. 


DK-UN-QUOT. 


Of  De-un-quot,  the  successor  of  Tarhe,  I  have 
already  spoken.  He  was  just  the  opposite  of  his 
predecessor — drunken,  savage,  brutal.  His  native 
talent  was  not  of  a  high  order;  and  he  seemed  in- 
capable of  any  broad  or  liberal  views.  He  was  vio- 
lently opposed  to  the  religion  of  the  white  man,  and 
exerted  his  influence  to  thwart  my  efforts  when  I  was 
a  missionary  among  the  Wyandotts. 

His  council  of  chiefs,  however,  were  against  him. 
They  were  favorably  inclined  to  the  education  of 
their  children,  and  also  to  religion.  Their  influence 
curbed  and  held  under  restraint  the  hostility  of  the 
war  chief,  yet  he  exerted  himself  to  the  utmost  to 
keep  up  the  heathen  party.  During  our  special  re- 
vivals he  would  summon  his  high-priest,  and  hold  a 
heathen  assemblage  at  the  same  hour  as  our  worship. 
Here  they  would  recite  the  annals  of  their  nation  and 
the  glorious  deeds  of  their  warriors.  They  would  also 
descant  upon  the  great  power  of  the  Indian's  god, 
their  hearers  would  also  sing  their  favorite  songs. 

The  failure  of  these  efforts  to  draw  away  the  mass 
of  the  Indians  from  our  meetings,  seemed  to  render 
the  chief  still  more  bitter  in  his  opposition.  As  mis- 
sionaries, we  were  decided  in  our  course;  but  en- 
dured much,  and  proceeded  with  the  utmost  caution 
to  avoid  provocation  that  might  lead  to  outbreaking  - 
assault. 


K  B  0  K  U  S . 


981 


When  many  of  the  chief?,  and  some  of  the  near 
neighhors  of  De-un-quot,  forsook  their  heathenism, 
and  embraced  the  religion  of  Christ,  he  declared  that 
though  the  new  religion  might  enter  every  other 
house  in  the  nation,  it  should  never  enter  his.  "I 
will  stand  in  the  door  and  drive  it  back,"  he  would 
exclaim.  Some  of  his  family  became  awakened;  but 
he  obstinately  stood  in  their  way.  Poor  man !  God 
soon  removed  him  from  the  door.  He  sickened  and 
died  in  a  few  months.  After  this  some  of  the  mem- 
bers of  his  family  became  hopefully  religious.  As 
for  himself,  he  died  as  he  had  lived — a  heathen. 


Lass 
^der 
iis- 
len- 
tioD 
ling 


X. 

KEOKUK. 

This  native  chief  was  born  on  Rock  river,  in  tht> 
north-western  part  of  the  state  of  Illinois,  about 
1781.  He  arose  to  his  elevated  state  by  his  own 
native  jalent,  and  his  deeds  of  daring.  While  quite  a 
youtlf,  he  joined  a  war  party  against  the  Sioux  tribe 
of  Indians,  then  at  war  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes. 
The  first  engagement  was  a  fierce  contest — some  fight- 
ing on  foot  and  some  on  horseback.  The  victory  was 
a  doubtful  one ;  when  young  Keokuk,  on  his  fleet  In- 
dian pony,  dashed  into  the  middle  of  the  battle,  and 
encountered  the  chief  warrior  of  the  Sioux  on  horse- 
back. The  two  met  with  deadly  aim,  with  their  spear 
and  tomahawk.  At  length  Keokuk  launched  his  spear 
into  the  breast  of  hi8  antagonist,  and  brought  him 


532 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


to  the  ground,  ga.spiiig  jn   dciitli,   while   he  himself 
was  bleeding  from  many  wounds.     The  Sioux  seeing 
their  leader  fallen,  and  not  hearing  the  thunder  tones 
of  his  voice  in  the  storm  of  battle,  fled,  and  this  gave 
the  victoiy  to  the  Sac  and  Fox  nation.    This  achieve- 
ment was  looked  upon  as  developing  the  character 
of  this  young  warrior,  so  as  to  cause  the  nation  to 
appoint  a  day  of  feasting  to  honor  the  youthful  war- 
rior.    This  kind  of  military  spirit,  where   it  is  nat- 
urally  possessed,  will   develop   itself    sometimes   in 
childhood  and  in  youth,  as  in  the  character  of  our 
OAvn  Washington,  Wayne,  Marion,  and  Harrison.    The 
martial  fire  seems  to  burn  in  those  young  hearts,  and 
the  sound  of  the  drum  and  fife  will  kindle  it  into  a 
flame.     So  it  was  said  of  Keokuk — his  delight  was  in 
the  scalping-knife,  the  tomahawk,  the  spear,  and  the 
deadly  rifle.    After  the  feast  to  which  we  alluded,  this 
young  warrior  was  looked  upon  as  one  of  the  braves, 
and  was,  by  all  the  nation,  admitted  to  all  their  privi- 
leges; and  farther,  on  all  days  of  public  occasions, 
he  was  allowed  to  appear  on  horseback,  even  if  all  the 
braves  and  chiefs  were  on  foot.     In  the  time  of  tho 
last  war  with  Britain,  and  before  young  Keokuk  was 
entitled  to  take  his  seat  in  the  councils  of  his  nation, 
a  rumor  was  circulated  that  the  Government  of  the 
United  States  had  sent  an  army  to  destroy  the  In- 
dian village  of  Peoria,  on  the  Illinois  river;  and  that 
this  expedition  was  to  destroy  the  whole  of  the  Sac 
and  Fox  nation.     This  threw  the  whole  nation  into 
consternation.     The  Indians  were  panic-stricken,  and 


Keokuk's  turillinq  speech.     538 


the  council  hastily  determined  to  abandon  their  vil- 
lages. Keokuk  was  standing  near  the  council-house 
when  this  decision  was  made.  As  soon  as  it  was 
announced,  he  boldly  advanced  to  the  door,  and  re- 
quested admittance.  It  was  granted.  lie  the<n  asked 
leave  to  speak,  and  permission  was  given  him.  He 
eaid  he  had  heard,  with  great  sorrow,  the  decision  of" 
the  council ;  that  he  himself  was  wholly  opposed  to 
flight  before  an  enem^  still  at  a  distance,  and  whose 
strength  was  entirely  unknown.  He  called  the  atten- 
tion of  the  council  to  the  practicability  of  meeting 
them  as  they  came,  and  of  harassing  their  progress, 
cutting  them  off  by  attacks  suddenly,  and  of  driving 
them  back  to  their  own  country,  or  of  nobly  dying 
in  defense  of  their  families,  their  country,  and  their 
homes.  "Make  me  your  war-chief,"  he  exclaimed, 
"Let  your  young  men  follow  me,  and  the  pale-faces 
shall  be  driven  back  to  their  towns.  Let  your  old 
men  and  women,  and  all  that  are  afraid  of  the  white 
man,  stay  here;  but  let  your  braves  go  to  battle. 
Let  us  never  give  up  our  country  to  those  who  would 
steal  our  country  and  homes,  and  the  graves  of  our 
fathers,  to  whom  the  Great  Spirit  gave  this  country, 
and  who  fought  to  defend  this  country  with  their 
lives.  My  tomahawk  now  leaps  in  its  scabbard  to 
defend  the  graves  of  my  ancestors.  Live  or  die,  we 
will  not  run." 

Such  a  speech  from  this  high-spirited  and  patriotic 
young  Sac  could  not  fail  to  produce  its  effect  on  a 
I  ace  of  men  heroic  in  their  nature,  and  most  patriotic 


584 


LIFE    AMONa    THE    INDIANS. 


in  their  feelings.  The  young  warriors,  with  one 
voice,  declared  that  they  would  to  u  man  follow 
Keokuk;  and  he  was  at  that  time  chosen  as  their 
war-chief,  to  lead  them  against  the  enemy.  It,  how- 
ever, turned  out  that  it  was  a  false  alarm ;  but  the 
eloquence  of  Keokuk  in  the  council,  and  his  energy 
in  preparing  for  the  expedition,  placed  him  at  once  iu 
the  first  rank  of  the  braves. 

On  another  occasion,  his  military  reputation  was 
much  increased  by  the  skill  and  promptness  with 
which  he  met  a  sudden  emergency  on  the  battle-field 
with  a  party  of  young  warriors.  He  was  hunting  in 
the  country  which  lies  between  the  Sacs  and  the 
Sioux;  between  which  two  nations,  for  many  years,  a 
deadly  hatred  existed.  Unexpectedly  a  party  of  the 
latter  came  upon  them  well  mounted,  and  prepared 
for  battle..  The  Sacs  were  mounted  also;  but  not 
being  so  expert  horsemen,  and  the  others  having  the 
advantage  of  ground,  there  was  no  covert  behind 
which  the  Sacs  could  fight,  and  the  flight  would  have 
been  death.  Keokuk's  mode  of  defense  was  as  novel 
as  ingenious.  He  instantly  formed  his  men  into  a 
compact  circle,  ordered  to  dismount,  and  take  shelter 
behind  their  horses,  by  which  they  were  protected 
from  the  missiles  of  the  Sioux,  an'l  at  the  same  t^isr'i 
avail  themselves  of  their  superiority  as  marksmon 
The  Sioux,  raising  the  warwhuop,  charged  upon  their 
intrenched  foe  with  great  fury,  but  were  received  with 
a  fire  so  destructive,  that  they  were  compelled  to  fall 
back.     The  attack  was  repeated  with  the  same  sue- 


m 


A    BOLD    ADVENTURE. 


585 


cess.  Their  horses  could  not  be  forced  upon  those 
whose  guns  were  pouring  forth  volleys  of  smoke  and 
fire,  and  after  several  unpuccessful  attempts  to  break 
the  line,  the  Sioux  retreated  with  considerable  loss. 

At  a  subsequent  period,  diiring  a  cessation  of  hos- 
tilities between  these  nations,  the  Sacs  had  gone  to 
the  prairies  to  hunt  buffalo,  leaving  their  villages  bu 
slightly  protected  by  warriors.  During  their  hunt, 
Keokuk  and  his  band  unexpectedly  fell  on  an  en- 
campment of  a  large  number  of  Sioux,  painted  for 
war,  and  evidently  on  their  way  to  attack  his  nation. 
His  warriors  were  widely  scattered  over  the  extended 
plains,  and  could  not  possibly  be  speedily  collected 
together.  Possessing  a  fearless  and  undaunted  spirit, 
he  instantly  resolved  on  the  bold  CApedient  of  throw- 
ing himself  between  the  impending  danger  and  his 
people.  Unattended  and  alone,  he  d?i'l»orately  rodo 
into,  the  camp  of  the  enemy.  In  the  midst  of  their 
camps  arose  their  war-pole,  and  around  it  they  were 
dancing  and  partaking  of  those  fierce  excitements 
by  which  the  Indians  usually  prepare  themselves  for 
the  battle-field.  It  happened  that  revenge  on  the 
Sacs  was  the  burdei*  of  their  song  at  the  moment  of 
Keokuk's  approach.  He  dashed  into  the  middle  of 
them,  and  boldly  demanded  t  >  see  their  chief,  "t 
have  come,"  said  he,  "  to  let  you  know  that  there  are 
traitors  in  your  camp — they  have  told  me  that  you 
are  preparing  to  attack  my  village.  I  know  that  they 
told  me  lies;  for  you  could  not,  after  smoking  the 
pipe  of  peace,  b»  ^^  base  as  to  murder  my  women 


■im 


536 


LJfK    AMONG    THE    INDIANS 


and  chiltVcn  in  ray  absence.  None  but  cowards 
would  hi  guilty  of  such  conduct!"  When  the  first 
feeling  of  surprise  began  to  subside,  the  Sioux  col- 
lected around  him  in  a  manner  evincing  a  determin- 
aticn  to  seize  his  person,  when  he  spoke  in  a  loud 
vjice,  and  said,  "If  this  is  your  purpose,  come  on; 
the  Sacs  are  ready  for  you."  With  a  sudden  effort 
he  dashed  aside  those  that  had  gathered  around  him, 
plunged  his  spurs  into  his  gallant  stood,  and  rode  off 
at  full  speed.  Several  guns  were  discharged  at  him, 
but  without  effect.  A  number  of  Sioux  warriors 
sprung  to  their  horses,  and  pursued  him  in  vain. 
Keokuk,  on  horseback,  was  in  his  clement;  he  mado 
the  woods  resound  with  the  warwhoop,  and  brandish- 
ing his  tomahawk  in  defiance  of  h's  foes,  soon  left 
them  far  behind  him,  and  joined  his  party  of  young 
wai^iors.  His  pursuers,  fearful  of  some  stratagem, 
gave  up  the  pursuit,  after  having  followod  him  a  short 
distance,  and  retired  to  their  camp.  Keokuk  took 
measures  immediately  to  collect  his  warriors,  and 
"pec  iily  returned  to  protect  his  village  and  nation. 

His  enemies,  finding  their  plot  discovered,  aban- 
doned their  contemplated  attack,  and  retraced  their 
steps  to  their  own  coantry. 

The  eloquence  of  Keokuk,  and  his  sagacity  in  the 
management  of  the  affairs  of  his  n  tion,  were,  like 
his  military  talents,  of  the  first  order.  '  ; 

One  or  cwo  cases  in  which  these  have  been  ex- 
hibited, are  worthy  of  record.  Some  years  since 
some  of  his  warriors  fell  in  with  a  party  of  unarmed 


KEOKUK'S    SKILLFUL    MANAGEMENT.    537 


Menomonees  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  in  sight  of  Fort 
Crawford,  and  murdered  liie  whole  company.  Justly 
incensed  at  this  outrage,  the  Menomonees  prepared 
for  war  against  the  Sues,  and  prevailed  on  the  Win- 
nebagoes  to  join  them.  For  the  purpose  of  allaying 
the  rising  storm,  the  United  States  agent,  at  Prairie 
du  Chien,  General  Street,  invited  the  several  parties 
to  a  council,  at  that  place,  for  the  purpose  of  adjust- 
ing the  difficulty  without  a  resort  to  arms.  They, 
out  of  respect  to  the  agent,  assembled  at  Fort  Craw- 
ford, but  the  Menomonees  refused,  sternly,  to  hold 
any  council  with  the  Sacs  on  the  subject.  Keokuk, 
told  the  agent  not  to  be  discouraged,  for  he  would 
adjust  the  difficulty  with  them  in  snite  of  all  their 
prejudices  and  positive  refusal  to  treat. 

He  only  asked  the  opportunity  of  meeting  them 
in  the  council-lodge  face  to  face.  The  tribes  were 
brought  together,  but  the  Menomonees  persevered  in 
thoir  determination  to  hold  no  council  with  the  Sacs. 
The  negotiation  proceeded,  and  a  friendly  feeling  was 
re-established  between  the  Winnebagoes  and  the  Sacs. 
Keokuk  *;hen  rose,  and,  with  much  deliberation,  began 
his  address  to  the  Menomonees.  At  first  they  averted 
their  faces,  or  listened  with  looks  of  defiance.  He 
had  commenced  his  speech  without  smoking,  or  shak- 
ing hands,  which  w«is  a  great  breach  of  etiquette^ 
and,  above  all,  he  was  the  chief  of  a  tribe  that  had 
inflicted  on  them  a  great  injury,  for  which  blood  alone 
could  atone.  Unaer  all  these  discouraging  circum- 
Btances  Keokuk  proceeded  c  h:s  forcible  persuasive, 


ASK 


LIFB    AMONa    TUE    INDIANS. 


•nd  impressive  manner.  Such  was  the  touching  char- 
acter of  his  appeal,  such  the  power  of  his  eloquence, 
that  the  features  of  his  enemies  gradually  relaxed. 
They  listened,  they  assented,  and  when  he  concluded 
by  remarking,  proudly,  but  in  a  conciliating  tone,  "I 
came  here  to  say  that  I  am  sorry  for  the  great  im 
prudence  of  my  young  men ;  I  came  to  make  amend 
for  their  wrong;  I  came  here  to  make  peace,  and 
save  the  eflfusion  of  blood — this  I  should  much  dep- 
recate. It  will  only  add  sorrow  to  sorrow.  But  if 
it  must  come  I  am  prepared;  but  I  am  for  peace. 
.Kow  I  offer  you  my  hand,  the  hand  of  Keokuk,  for 
peace.  Who  of  you  will  refuse  it?"  they  rose,  ono 
by  one,  and  accepted  the  proffered  hand  of  peace. 
Thus  the  fo»mtain  of  blood  was  stopped  by  the  elo- 
quence and  wisdom  of  this  chief. 

In  the  late  contest  between  the  United  States  and 
Black-Hawk's  band,  Keokuk,  and  a  majority  of  the 
Sacs  and  Foxes,  took  no  part.  Black-Hawk  made 
several  attempts  to  induce  them  to  unite  against  the 
whites,  which  they  were  strongl}  inclined  to  do,  not 
only  for  their  love  of  war  and  of  plunder,  but  on 
account  of  the  injustice  with  which  they  had  been 
treated  by  the  whites.  It  required  all  of  Keokuk's 
influence  and  moderation  to  prevent  the  whole  nation 
from  enlisting  under  Black-Hawk's  banner.  He  re- 
quested the  Indian  agent  to  send  to  his  village,  on 
the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi,  a  white  man  who 
understood  the  Sac  language,  and  who  might  bear 
witness  to  bis — Keokuk's — sincerity  and  faithfulne^ 


THE    NEW    EMBASSY. 


539 


to  the  whites.  Such  a  pevson  was  sent.  The  excite- 
ment raised  by  Black-Hawk,  and  the  war  in  which 
he  was  engaged,  continued  to  increase  among  Ke- 
okuk's people.  He  stood  on  a  mine  liable  to  explode 
by  a  single  spark.  He  was  in  great  peril  of  being 
slain  as  the  friend  of  the  white  man.  He  remained 
calm  and  unawed,  ruling  his  turbulent  little  state  with 
mildness  and  firmness,  but  at  the  constant  risk  of 
his  life.  One  day  a  new  embassy  arrived  from  Black- 
Hawk's  party.  Captain  Whisky  was  introduced  into 
the  camp  of  warriors,  and  Keokuk  saw  the  crisis  was 
9*^  hand.  He  warned  the  white  man,  who  was  his 
guest,  of  the  impending  danger,  and  advised  him  to 
conceal  himself.  A  scene  of  tumult  ensued — the  em- 
bassy spoke  of  the  blood  that  had  been  shed  by  the 
whites,  and  of  their  fathers  and  themselves  being 
driven  from  their  hunting-grounds,  of  many  recent 
insults,  and  of  injuries  that  had  long  been  inflicted 
by  the  whites.  He  talked  of  the  ready  vengeance 
that  might  now  be  taken  on  an  exposed  frontier  of 
defenseless  cabins,  and  of  the  rich  booty  they  might 
take.  The  desired  eflfect  was  produced;  the  warriors 
began  to  dance  around  the  war-pole,  to  paint,  and  to 
give  other  evidence  of  war.  Keokuk  closely  watched 
the  rising  storm,  and  seemed  to  mingle  in  it.  He 
drank,  and  listen  d,  and  apparently  sympathized.  At 
length  his  warriors  called  on  him  to  lead  them  to 
battle.  He  arose,  and  spoke  with  powerful  eloquence, 
which  never  failed  him.  He  sympathized  with  their 
wrongs — their  thirst  for  vengeance.     He  won  their 


ill- 


540 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIA  2{S. 


confidence  by  giving  utterance  to  the  passions  by 
which  they  were  moved,  and  echoing  back  their  own 
thoughts  with  a  master  spirit.  He  then  considered 
the  proposition  to  go  to  war,  and  informed  them  of 
the  number  and  power  of  th^  whites,  and  the  entire 
hopelessness  of  their  conquering  such  a  body  of  men. 
He  told  them  that  he  was  their  chief;  that  it  was  hif 
duty  to  govern  them  as  a  father  at  home,  to  lead  thea 
'o  war  if  they  were  determined  to  go.  But,  in  the 
proposed  war,  there  was  no  middle  course.  The 
power  of  the  United  States  was  such  thaf;  unless  they 
conquered  that  great  nation  they  must  perish.  He 
said  he  would  lead  them  instantly  against  the  whites, 
on  one  condition,  and  that  was,  that  they  should  put 
all  their  women  anf'.  children  to  death,  and  then  re- 
solve, that,  having  crossed  the  Mississippi,  they  would 
never  return,  but  perish  among  the  graves  of  their 
fathers  rather  than  yield  them  to  the  white  men. 
This  proposal,  desperate  as  it  was,  presented  the  true 
issue.  It  calmed  the  disturbed  passions  of  his  peo- 
ple ;  the  turmoil  subsided,  order  was  restored,  and  the 
authority  of  Keokuk,  from  that  time,  became  firmly 
established. 

Black-Hawk  and  his  band  had  always'  been  op- 
posed to  Keokuk;  and  since  the  late  war,  which  proved 
so  disastrous  to  them,  and  into  which  they  were 
plunged,  in  utter  opposition  to  his  counsel,  they  had 
looked  on  him  with  increased  aversion.  They  had 
made  repeated  efforts  to  destroy  his  influence  with 
Ihe  remainder  of  the  tribe,  and,  owing  to  the  mo- 


Keokuk's  magnanimity. 


541 


notony  of  his  pacific  manner  of  governing,  were,  on 
one  occasion,  nearly  successful.  A  spirit  of  discon- 
t'jnt  pervaded  his  people ;  they  complained  of  the 
extent  of  the  power  which  he  wielded.  They  needed 
excitement,  and,  as  his  measures  were  all  of  a  peace- 
ful character,  they  sought  a  change  of  rulers.  The 
matter  was,  at  length,  openly  and  formally  discussed; 
the  voice  of  the  nation  was  taken;  Keokuk  was  re- 
moved from  his  post,  as  head  man,  and  a  young  chief 
placed  in  his  stead.  He  made  not  the  smallest  op- 
position to  this  measure  of  his  people,  but  calmly 
awaited  the  result.  When  his  successor  was  chosen, 
Keokuk  was  the  first  to  salute  him  with  the  title  of 
father.  But  the  matter  did  not  rest  here ;  with  great 
courtesy  he  begged  to  accompany  the  new  chief  to 
the  United  States  agent,  then  at  Rock  Islan(L  and, 
with  profound  respect,  to  introduce  him  as  his  chief 
and  father,  and  urged  the  agent  to  receive  him  as 
such,  and  asked  it  as  a  favor,  that  the  same  regard 
that  had  been  paid  to  himself  by  the  whites,  might  be 
extended  to  his  worthy  successor.  The  sequel  may 
readily  be  inferred. 

The  nation  could  not  remain  blind  to  the  error  they 
had  committed.  Keokuk,  as  a  private  individual, 
was  still  the  first  man  among  his  people.  His  ready 
and  noble  acquiescence  in  their  wishes  won  both  their 
sympathy  and  admiration.  He  rose  silently  but  rap- 
idly to  his  elevated  station,  while  the  young  chief 
w.'.\\  as  rapidly  into  his  former  obscurity.  In  this 
80*.  of  the  forest  we  have  the  true  elements  of  great- 


542 


LIEE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 


nes3  and  of  goyernment.  It  is  said  no  man  is  fit  to 
govern  who  will  not  submit  to  be  governed.  He  had 
studied  human  nature,  and  knew  well  how  to  meet  it 
in  all  its  phases,  and  how  to  make  men  think  they  are 
governing  themselves.  With  a  sound  judgment,  and 
a  good  stock  of  common  sense,  this  untaught  chief 
used  all  his  talents  to  secure  the  greatest  good  to  his 
savage  people.  How  unlike  the  degraded,  unprin- 
cipled, sycophantic  demagogue,  who  sacrifices  all  his 
patriotisiji  for  the  purpose  of  filling  his  own  pockets 
with  the  public  money !  The  spoils  for  the  victors,  is 
his  motto. 

In  person  Keokuk  was  stout,  graceful,  and  com- 
manding, with  fine  features,  and  an  intelligent  coun- 
tenance. His  broad,  expanded  chest,  and  muscular 
limbs,  denoted  activity  and  physical  power ;  and  he 
was  known  to  excel  in  dancing,  horsemanship,  and  all 
athletic  exercises.  He  had  acquired  considerable 
property,  and  lived  in  much  better  style  than  is  usual 
for  the  red  man.  He  wj  s  fond  of  traveling,  and  used 
to  make  frequent  visits  to  the  Osages,  the  Ottawas, 
the  Omahas,  and  the  Winnebagoes.  On  these  occa- 
sions he  was  uniformly  mounted  on  a  fine  horse,  clad 
in  a  fine  robe  wrought  by  his  wives,  with  wampum, 
porcupine-quills,  beads,  and  horse-hair  dyed  red,  with 
half-moons  of  silver  hung  down  his  back,  and  his 
head-dress  ornamented  with  silver-bobs  and  feath- 
ers— equipped  with  his  rifle,  scalping-knife,  toma- 
hawk, pipe,  and  war-club. 

He  was  usually  attended  on  these  excursions  with 


GREAT    TALENTS    AND    POPULARITY.   548 


th 


some  of  his  young  warriors,  well  mounted,  and  in 
their  best  Indian  costume.  He  was  always  preceded 
by  some  one  to  the  tribe  he  was  about  to  visit ;  and 
such  was  his  popuhirity,  that  his  reception  corre- 
sponded with  the  style  in  Avhich  he  made  his  visits. 
These  were  generally  made  in  the  fall  of  the  year, 
and  were  enlivened  by  hunting,  fishing,  dancing,  feast- 
ing, and  various  other  athletic  games — in  all  of  which 
Keokuk  took  an  active  part. 

He  moved  in  a  more  magnificent  style  than  any 
other  chief  in  America.  In  point  of  natural  intellect, 
integrity  of  character,  and  the  capacity  for  governing 
and  commanding,  he  was  supposed  to  have  no  su- 
perior among  Indians.  Bold,  courageous,  and  skill- 
ful in  war,  he  was  mild,  firm,  and  politic  in  peace. 
He  had  great  enterprise,  and  active  impulses,  with  a 
freshness  and  enthusiasm  of  feeling,  which  might 
readily  have  led  him  astray,  but  for  his  acute  knowl- 
edge of  human  nature,  his  uncommon  prudence,  and 
good  common  sense,  and  sound  judgment.  At  an 
early  period  of  his  life,  he  became  the  head  chief  of 
his  nation  ;  and  by  his  superior  talents,  eloquence, 
and  intelligence,  really  directed  all  the  aJBfairs  of  his 
nation  for  many  years. 

Such  was  Keokuk,  the  watchful  Fox — the  brave, 
wise,  firm,  and  politic  chief — who  prided  himself  upon 
being  the  friend  of  the  white  man,  as  well  as  the 
red  man.  But  this  noble  Indian  chief  has  passed 
away,  and  he  has  gone  to  join  his  tribe  beyond  the 
flood. 


644  LIFE    AMONG    tHE    INDIAiffl. 


XI. 

SDM-MUN-DE-WAT. 

Sum-raun-de-wat  was  a  Wyandott  by  birth,  and 
belonged  to  the  Bear  tribe.  He  was  about  six  feet 
high,  well  made,  with  a  fine  forehead,  high  cheek- 
bones,  dark  complexion,  large  mouth,  and  was  a  re- 
markably active  man.  Possessed  of  more  than  ordi- 
nary talents,  for  an  untutored  man,  and  an  Indian,  he 
was  more  temperate  than  they  usually  are  in  their  sav- 
age state.  His  social  qualities  were  great,  and  he  was 
fond  of  sport;  yet  he  was  a  constant  attendant  on 
the  meetings  held  in  the  nation.  Fond  of  his  Indian 
dress,  he  always  made  his  appearance  at  these  places 
more  to  attract  the  attention  of  others  than  to  be 
instructed.  His  head-dress  was  generally  enormous, 
decorated  with  the  plumes  of  almost  all  the  birds  of 
the  forest,  and  swelled  to  an  enormous  size, 

But  on  one  occasion,  when  there  was  a  powerful 
work  of  God  among  the  Indians,  and  many  were 
down  crying  for  mercy,  the  Lord  convicted  this  proud 
young  Indian  man,  and  he  began  to  weep.  His 
friends  talked  to  him,  and  pressed  him  to  go  forward 
to  the  prayer  meeting.  At  length  a  female  friend  of 
his,  happy  in  the  love  of  God,  took  him  by  the  hand, 
and  he  was  brought  by  her  to  the  mercy-seat,  with 
his  mighty  head-dress  of  feathers.  As  soon  as  he 
was  on  his  -knees,  she  took  it  off  and  threw  it  m  the 
fire,  and  said,  "Go  there,  you  feathered  god  of  thia 


sum-mun-de-wat's  conversion.  5-15 


he 

the 

lis 


man,  and  let  him  come  to  the  true  God,  that  can  burn 
up  all  his  sins  by  his  love."  After  a  long  and  hard 
struggle,  God,  for  Christ's  sake,  pardoned  his  sins; 
and  it  was  a  time  of  great  rejoicing,  both  on  earth 
and  in  heaven,  but  with  none  more  than  the  released 
prisoner.  His  tongue  was  loosed,  and  he  shouted 
and  spoke  with  a  feeling  as  though  he  were  filled  with 
tongues  of  fire,  to  the  astonishment  of  all  who  heard 
him,  both  saint  and  sinner.  He  pursued  his  wicked 
Indian  companions  with  so  much  love  and  zeal  for 
their  salvation,  that  they  could  not  resist,  and  the 
result  was  that  many  of  them  were  converted.  From 
that  hour  to  the  day  of  his  death  he  never  faltered. 
Never  did  I  know  a  more  devoted  Christian ;  always 
happy  and  cheerful,  and  ready  for  every  good  word 
and  work. 

It  was  not  long  till  his  faithfulness  and  talents 
fixed  the  eyes  of  the  Church  and  nation  on  him  as 
one  to  whom  could  be  intrusted  their  interest;  and 
he  was  called  to  office.  His  first  appointment  was 
that  of  trustee  of  the  church.  On  one  occasion,  in 
his  absence,  when  the  annuities  of  the  nation  were  to 
be  distributed,  the  traders  and  agent  made  applica- 
tion for  the  church,  to  be  used  for  their  wares  and 
merchandise,  to  be  sold  in,  and  the  other  trustees 
granted  the  privilege.  They  went  and  built  their 
booths  around  the  house,  and  put  in  their  fixtures  for 
the  opening  of  the  coming  market. 

When  he  returned,  and  heard  what  was  done,  he 

gaid,  "  It  shall  not  be."     He  took  the  keys  of  the 

35 


546 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS 


door,  and  went  down  and  locked  himself  up  in  the 
liouse.  The  next  mornin<^  the  traders  came  and  de- 
manded entrance.  He  told  them  they  could  not  have 
it.  That  house  was  built  for  a  very  different  purpose, 
and  it  was  committed  to  his  care,  i.i  part,  to  preserve 
it,  and  keep  it  for  the  worship  of  God.  They  threat- 
ened him,  and  coaxed  him,  but  to  no  purpose;  and 
he  told  them  plainly  that  they  might  as  well  leave 
first  as  last,  for  they  should  never  make  that  house  a 
den  of  thieves,  unless  they  did  it  over  his  dead  body. 
Knowing  his  unyielding  firmness,  they  finally  left. 

Sum-mun-de-wat's  memory  was  very  tenacious,  re- 
taining much  of  the  Scripture,  and  he  was  licensed 
as  an  exhorter,  and  afterward  a  lo(  1  preacher.  He 
labored  with  acceptability  and  with  great  usefulness. 
He  used  frequently  to  journey  with  me  across  the 
Black  Swamp,  when  I  went  to  attend  my  quarterly 
meetings  in  Michigan,  and  to  Detroit,  thence  into 
Canada,  to  my  Indian  society,  on  the  Cannard,  and 
was  great  company  for  me.  We  had  always  to  camp 
out  in  the  Swamp ;  and  after  we  had  taken  our  sup- 
per, he  would  ask  me  many  questions  on  th«  subject 
of  Bible  doctrines. 

Such  was  the  confidence  his  nation  had  in  him  that 
they  chose  him  to  be  their  head  chief;  all  had  confi- 
dence in  him.  About  1841  or  1842,  he,  with  his 
friends,  went  on  their  usual  hunt  in  the  fall  and 
winter,  north  of  Williams  county,  and  raccoon-skins 
bearing  a  good  price,  and  in  demand,  some  of  his 
white  friends  gave  him  five  hundred  dollars  to  pur- 


MUUDKU    OP    SUAI-MUN-I)E-WAT. 


547 


chase  skins  for  them  early  in  the  spring.  Having 
many  horse-loads  of  fur  and  other  skins,  he  started 
for  home,  a  day  or  two  before  his  company,  with  his 
nephew  and  little  Nancy,  his  niece,  all  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  Williams  county. 

One  evening,  after  they  had  camped,  there  came 
two  young  men,  without  arms,  and  said  that  they  had 
got  lost,  and  asked  the  privilege  of  stopping  all  night, 
which  was  readily  granted.  They  were  fed,  and  a 
place  to  sleep  provided  for  them.  Sum-mun-de-wat, 
as  was  his  custom,  had  his  family  prayers,  and  all 
retired  to  sleep.  In  the  night,  when  the  Indians  were 
asleep,  they  arose  and  took  the  two  camp  axes,  and 
with  them  kille<l  the  two  men,  sinking  the  axes  into 
the  brains  of  both.  Nancy  awoke  and  fled;  they  fol- 
lowed her,  and  killed  hor  with  the  same  instruments. 
They  drew  their  bodies  a  short  distance,  and  covered 
them  with  logs  and  brush.  The  day  following,  some 
of  the  p.irty,  following  their  trail,  came  on  to  the 
camp,  saw  the  blood,  and  made  search,  and  found 
their  mr  -  dered  friends.  They  then  took  the  trai^  of 
^he  horses,  wdiich  the  murderers  had  taken,  with  all 
the  furs  and  skins,  and,  about  thirteen  miles  off,  found 
the  murderers  and  their  booty. 

The  murderers  were  taken  by  the  whites  and  put 
into  jail;  but  with  the  help  of  some  of  their  friends 
or  accomplices,  they  were  let  out,  and  by  that  means 
were  not  punished.  The  Indians  went  on  home  with 
the  mournful  intelligence  of  this  brutal  murder.  The 
young  men  of  the  nation  went  and  brought  the  bodieg 


548 


LIFE    A  M  0  N  (J    T  II  K    INDIANS. 


home  on  biors,  and  Sum-mun-dc-wat,  his  ncpliew,  and 
pious  little  Nancy,  were  buried  in  their  own  burying- 
ground.  Thus  fell  my  beloved  brother  in  Christ,  by 
the  murderous  hand  of  the  more  than  savage  white 
man. 

Gentle  reader,  had  you  known  this  man  and  his 
two  relatives  as  I  knew  them,  and  the  many  days 
and  nights  we  spent  together  in  religious  meetings 
and  traveling  together,  you  could  sympathize  with  me 
when  I  cried,  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  "  0  Ab- 
salom, my  son !  my  son !  would  to  God  I  had  died 
for  thee !  0  Absalom,  my  son !  my  son  !"  This  cir- 
cumstance had  much  to  do  in  removing  these  Chris- 
tian people  from  their  homes,  and  cultivated  fields, 
their  house  of  worship,  and  the  graves  of  their  fathers 
and  children.  They  were  constantly  annoyed  with 
the  undying,  covetous  thirst  the  whites  had  for  their 
lands  and  pleasant  homes.  God  will,  in  a  coming 
day,  settle  the  accounts  of  the  Government  and  her 
agents  and  traders,  for  their  conduct  and  treatment 
to  the  poor  Indian ;  and  eternal  Justice  will  punish 
the  worst  and  most  inhuman  of  all  our  race. 


THE    END. 


^:^t^-r^-f~    %■, 


♦M^"^^ 


<^-^^;;- 


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CRANSTON  &  CLJRTS,  PuBLiSf  ibrs, 
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A  HISTORY  OF  THE  ORIGIN  AND  DEVELOPMENT 
OF  THE  GOVERNING  CONFERENCE  IN  METH- 
ODISM. And  especially  of  the  General  Conference  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

BY  THOMAS  B.  NKELY,  D.  D.,  1,1,.  D. 

121)10.     Cloth.    4§g  pages.    $/.so. 

The  time  has  arrived  for  a  restudy  of  the  fundamental  prin- 
ciples of  the  ecclesiastical  polity  of  Methodism.  The  early 
generations  have  passed  away,  and  the  records  of  facts  con- 
nected with  the  ecclesiastical  beginnings  are  scattered  in  many 
books,  manuscripts,  fugitive  productions,  and  fragmentary 
utterances.  These  should  be  collated  and  logically  arranged. — 
Extract  from  Author's  Preface. 

PRESS   NOTICES. 
Front  the  Michigan  Christian  Advocate, 

Dr.  Neely's  book  tiaces  the  rise  and  growth  of  the  Conference  in  both 
Engflish  and  .\nierican  Methodism.  .  .  .  It  is  a  valuable  collection  of 
testimonies  that  were  scattered  and  liable  to  be  lost. 

From  the  Preachers'  Magazine. 

So  valuable  and  scholarly  a  contribution  to  a  just  and  comprehensive 
view  of  the  evolution  of  Methodistic  history  and  constitutional  law  has 
never  before  appeared.  .  .  .  Students  will  '^nd  it  a  treasure-house  of 
data  to  trace  the  successive  steps  which  have  given  the  present  outcome 
to  legislative  conditions.  Methodism  will  be  more  clearly  seen,  and  her 
history  admired  by  this  study.  ^ 

PLATO  AND  PAUL ;  or,  Philosophy  and  Christianity.  An 
Examination  of  the  Two  Fundamental  Forces  of  CofjUiic 
and  Human  History,  with  their  Contents,  Methods,  Func- 
tions, Relations,  and  Results  Compared. 

BY  J.  W.  MENDENHALL,  PH.  D.,  D.  D., 
Late  Editor  of  the  Methodist  Review. 

8vo.     Cloth.    7J7  pages.    $j.oo. 

Plato  and  Paul  are  the  exponents  of  two  antagonistic 
systems  of  thought,  and  of  the  two  methods  of  demonstration. 
Each  stands  first  in  his  relation  to  his  system ;  tlie  one  to 
philosophy,  the  other  to  Christianity.  .  .  .  Holding  fast  to 
the  conviction  that  religion  will  demonstrate  its  superiority  to 
metaphysics,  and  on  grounds  occupied  by  the  latter,  and  antici- 
pating the  final  triumph  of  Christianity  in  our  growing  world, 
both  through  philosophic  and  religious  methods  of  activity, 
this  volume  is  sent  forth  on  an  independent  errand,  and  as  au 
aid  to  the  con  mmmation. — Extract  from  Introduction. 


ORANeTON  &  CURTS,  Publishers, 

CINCINNATI,  CHICAGO,  ST.  LOUI$. 


